Something British Monday #2: Olympic Swimmers

Over the last two days I have been following the Olympic swimming, diving, and polo.

Because of this:
















And this:














And this:



















And this:



















And this British man:
















And this fine British fellow:



















Of course, I am not only following the swimming. I quite enjoy the gymnastics and volleyball as well. Though I really do wish the Olympic feeds would cover Equestrian and Fencing. Even though they don't have men like this, I would still like to watch them.

What about you? Are you following the Olympics?

Oopsie Daisy

I knew exactly what I wanted to discuss in for my blog this morning, but unfortunately, my plans have changed (that topic has been moved to next Wednesday). Instead, this morning I’m going on a spontaneous fishing trip with my hubby, (Yay!) and will talk briefly about that.

I’ve been begging him to take me fishing since we started dating nearly 10 years ago. We had originally planned to go tomorrow while my mother-in-law babysat, but no matter how many times I asked my husband to check with his mom to see if she was willing to do it… he never did. Sigh (big surprise). So yesterday afternoon I told my mom that I really hoped our plans wouldn't be a bust... and she offered to take the kids for the night! Huzzah!

So not only do I get to go fishing (finally!) with my hubby this morning, but I got to have an uninterrupted sleep! What a wondrous thing!

Be forewarned, I am going to bring my camera… so plan on finding a blog sometime soon about my fishing adventures.

Have you ever gone fishing? If not, do you think you might ever want to go? If you have, what did you think of it? Did you enjoy it? Hate it?

Plenty of Pictures

I have recently joined the Internet phenomenon of Pinterest. And as it turns out, I love it! It’s a great place to express oneself through pictures. You can share, pin your own pictures, or just view what others have pinned.

It is easy to spend hours perusing Pinterest. I love searching for simple words such as, ‘cute’, ‘happy’, ‘adorable’, etc. they always come up with the best pictures of animals and people alike. 

It has also given me many scenery ideas for future novels!

Pinterest is definitely something to be admired. It has proven useful for so many things! If one is searching for a handy recipe, a new hairstyle, natural cleaners, deodorizers, or organizational ideas, Pinterest is where to go. I’ve tried out several recipes, myself, and they turned out fantastically! I got some ideas for organizing my kitchen and my living room, and only a matter of days later, the techniques are in place and I couldn’t be happier!

 

My Pinterest page is a place I go in my spare (and not-so-spare) time, just to dream about travel, look at cute pictures of animals, or read a humorous anecdote.

So now I ask you: Are you on Pinterest? Have you ever been there? What did you think?

Something British Monday #1

As this is the first week of my Something British Mondays, and as the 2012 London Olympics begin this week, I thought I would briefly talk about it.

In this past May, my husband and I went on a trip to Edinburgh and London, and while we were there, we saw some decorations for the Queen’s 60^th Jubilee and for the Olympics!

The streets were crowded, and the people excited. The heat and humidity were unbelievable in the, apparently, unseasonably warm days we were there. I would go back in a flash!

I am so excited to begin watching the Olympics! I've got some events set to record on my PVR, and others, I plan to watch or have in the background as I go about my daily business. As I’m from Canada, I naturally support the Canadian athletes. But I’ve always been a lover of the UK, so my support is divided.

For the Summer Olympics, my favourite events are Archery, BMX, Fencing, the Boating events, Equestrian events, Football (Soccer), and Gymnastics. Phew! There's a lot. I like the others as well, but there are so many to follow diligently, that one has to pick their favourites. 

Have you seen the mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville for the 2012 London Olympics? While my husband and I were in London, we saw them everywhere! We even bought our sons some stuffed mascots as souvenirs. They’re pretty cute!

So now I ask you: Will you be watching the Olympics? Which country do you support? What are your favourite events?

My Husband, the 'Chef'

Not my personal picture

During the week it is my responsibility to prepare the meals, which usually consist of salads and pastas. I’m not the best of cooks. But I try.

It is for that reason (but not only that reason) that I am incredibly fortunate in my choice of husband. He is an amazing at-home chef! He’s an electrician by weekday, and by weekend, he’s a chef. This morning, for example, he has prepared crepes. Yum!

Not my personal picture

One of our breakfasts last weekend was Eggs Benedict. It’s remarkable how he suddenly becomes the expert the moment he walks into the kitchen. His specialties include homemade burgers, taco salads/tacos, chicken potpies, banana chocolate chip muffins, and of course, his Eggs Benedict, and crepes.

My homemade pizza pockets

This week I tried to match him in creativity and cleverness. I thought it was fabulous, but it didn’t go over so well with my husband and sons… they thought it was “Ok”. Sigh. And here I thought that putting pizza toppings inside the Pillsbury croissant rolls was ingenious. I thought it was delicious, though.

So now I ask you: Are you a good cook? What are your specialties?

Tips for Writing a Steamy Love Scene

As a newly self-published Historical Romance author, several people have asked me just how I write those steamy love scenes. So I came up with these few important notes.

-Stay true to character – if the heroine is bashful do not make her the dominant, sexy seductress. If your guy is strong and confident in character, do not turn him bashful.

-Keep it ‘real’ – don’t contort your characters in such a way that the reader will not believe the act is physically possible.

-Use your imagination.

-Keep the reader engaged – static love scenes and repetitive language is not likely to keep anyone’s interest. Stay fresh.

-Use this opportunity to get to know your characters, and allow them to grow. It isn’t just sex, it is a future husband and wife falling for one another.

It is at this point in my blogs in which I usually ask a question to readers. As the content here is of a ‘spicy’ nature, I have chosen to change the topic for my question.

So now I ask you: Do you have any tips for writing that you would like to share?

Important Little Notes

When writing a novel, there are many small details that one must remember. Once you have mentioned that your hero enjoys smoking cigars, you must remember to add scenes with him enjoying one. If you imply that your heroine’s favourite pastime is riding horses, you had better put her on a horse at some point. If you decide to put your characters in costume, you must remember what each is wearing.

This is why I have a large notebook full of odd notes. I am constantly scribbling, scratching out, and re-writing notes. I’ve got arrows indicating the sequence of events, lists that help me understand terms that I looked up, and translations for the characters that happen to be from a different country.

My notebook is an indispensable tool for me while I do my writing. It helps me keep my novels free of discrepancies or continuity errors, and it ensures that I remember important plot points.

I keep a notebook for my ‘real’ life, as well. It has my list of things ‘to do’ and the list of things I must remember.

So now I ask you: Do you have a special notebook? What do you use yours for?

For the Love of Reading

I love to read. As a mom, nothing quite rivals that moment of silence when the kids are asleep at the end of a long day, and I can sit down with a cup of tea and a good book.

My first novel.

Of course, when I’m in the middle of writing a novel, I abstain from reading; it gets confusing. But that does not stop me from buying books! When I’m writing a novel, I still browse the Romance isle of a bookstore or look online for the latest releases, and add any good finds to my “to-be-read” pile. When I’m done writing and editing, I will happily read through every single book that I purchased. Oh what a wonderful time that is!

As you may have guessed, I’m a Romance reader (and writer). Historical Romance to be precise. Although it is not all that I’ve read, it is generally what I prefer to read. I enjoy the adventure, the steam, the dictates of society in Regency England, the settings, and the fashion. Quite frankly, I think it is safe to say that there is nothing that I do not like about novels set in the Regency era.

Some of my favorite Historical Romance authors include Sabrina Jeffries, Celeste Bradley, Suzanne Enoch, Karen Hawkins, Lisa Kleypas, and Tracy Anne Warren. They are all excellent at writing Historical Romance. In fact, most of these women are part of a blog I follow, called The Goddess Blogs; check it out, it's good fun!

Like I mentioned, Romance is not all I read. I am very much enamored of ‘classic’ novels/writings, such as the work of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, the Bronte sisters, Daniel Defoe, and the works of Shakespeare. I also quite enjoyed the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling.

So now I ask you: What genre of books do you generally enjoy? Who are your favourite authors? Any tips on books that are a good read?

Almost Out Of Tea!

Egad! I feel like I’m going to cry. I’m nearly out of my new favourite tea, Royal Breakfast! I know it does not sound like a big deal, but I purchased that tea on my recent trip to London, from a shop called The East India Company. It is not as though I can make a trip to the local grocery store and refill my tin. I am not certain whether I should just finish it or if I should save it for a special occasion. Knowing myself, I will probably save it until I can convince my husband that I should order a new tin online and that “YES! The shipping costs are worth it!”

I have several favourite teas, but none compare to Royal Breakfast. Though it is likely not only the taste that has me so enamored, but the location in which I purchased it.

While I was on that trip I also bought a tea, which comes in as a close second as my favourite, called Scottish Breakfast Tea; it is made in Edinburgh and it is also delicious.

Among my other favorites are Crème Brule from David’s Tea, and Market Spice from the Granville Island Tea Company. Yum!

So now I ask you: What is your hot drink of choice? Coffee? Tea? What is your favourite flavor? Do you think it would be worth it for me to order my tea online?

Pen Pals

I have recently been given the opportunity to blast back to my youth and become a pen pal. I think we can all honestly say that we seldom write letters anymore. In this age of technology we tend to connect with people via Facebook, Twitter, or by E-mail. Some even use programs like Skype and Facetime.

Now, as much as I enjoy using these methods to connect with my family and friends, I think it is so much more personal when you send someone a letter that has been handwritten. It adds a personal touch in my opinion.

My new pen pal is one of my best friends. She just moved a province over, and I already miss her terribly. I very much look forward to writing her, but the excitement of being a pen pal pales in comparison to actually being able to see her face to face. I wish I could.

For now I must content myself with writing the ‘old-fashioned’ way. By hand and from the heart.

So now I ask you: Do any of you have a pen pal? Do you remember when they were assigned to us in elementary school? Do you find that writing by hand adds a personal touch?

Celebrity Crushes

This morning I happened to be browsing around on Twitter, and I came across a familiar face…

This guy:

 

This is the guy that a large percentage of my generation had a crush on at one point. Let me show you what he used to look like…

That’s right, Ladies! It’s Devon Sawa!

I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw his picture this morning, and it got me thinking… what happened to all the other guys I had crushes on when I was younger?

So I looked them up.

The first among my teenybopper crushes was Jonathan Taylor Thomas (aka JTT), or as I knew him at the time, “Randy Taylor”. I was so enamored of him I even had a poster of him on my wall.

 

Sigh. I still love his smile.

Next came his 'brother' on the TV sitcom "Home Improvement", Zachery Ty Bryan. I certainly did a double-take with this one!

After that, I looked through my old "Saved By The Bell" crushes. I started with Mark-Paul Gosselaar, or as I knew him, "Zack Morris".

I thought I had the wrong guy when I first saw this. He is nigh on unrecognizable!

I was also in love with "A.C. Slater", or in real life, Mario Lopez. Now, if you ask me, Mario Lopez ripened with age.

Among my picture searches, I found this intriguing fellow…

I could not believe that he is Dustin Diamond, the very same man who played “Screech”! Do my eyes deceive me? Has that awkward young man turned into THIS? Remarkable.

I hope that this blog has inspired you to look up your old child-star crushes. But for now, I will ask you: Who was your child-star crush? What show were they from? Did you have posters or magazine clippings of them on your walls, too?

Sleeplessness

The past two mornings I have found myself exhausted. Not simply because I stayed up too late or haven’t had my morning cup of English Breakfast, but because for some unknown reason, I could not sleep. I fell asleep just fine, but sometime in the middle of the night, my mind decided to turn on, regardless of how tired my body felt.

I lay there staring bleary-eyed at the ceiling and thought of all the things that I had done that day and of all the things that I needed to get done the next. I continued to tell myself “don’t worry about this now, you need to get some sleep. Go to sleep. Go to sleep! Just close your eyes and stop thinking.” Yeah. Right.

My mind quite enjoyed keeping me awake with senseless thoughts and ridiculous worries. “Did I remember to call that friend back? Yes, yes. Did I put the milk back in the fridge? Yes. Did I put the boys’ blankets on before bed? Yes. Are all the windows closed?” The list goes on.

And so, this morning I find that I am completely useless. I tried to continue writing my next novel, and I simply stared at my computer screen instead. The phone rang and I answered my TV remote. My sons somehow had interchangeable names, and half of what I have said came out as mumbled gibberish.

Sigh.

And so I ask you this: Does this ever happen to you? If so, how do you turn your mind off and get back to sleep?

Passionate About Antiques

I have collected many things in my lifetime. When I was young, it was marbles, buttons, and candles, but as I grew up my interests changed. Now I have a passion for antiques.

When I walk into an antique shop my heart rate picks up speed, my stomach flutters with excitement, and my mind races with thoughts of what I want to bring home. Of course, I gravitate to the smaller items, such as teacups, books, and keys, so my house has not yet overflowed with antique goodies.

 

My personal collection is modest, but I encourage it to grow at every opportunity.

When I pick teacups, I will only pick one from each store, that way each teacup is individually special. I do not search for a particular pattern, shape, or colour, but it must catch my attention. I usually scan a grouping of cups and immediately ‘hone-in’ on one, pick it up, and declare it mine.

One of my teacups (the white and teal one with the crown in the center) is not an antique. This one I purchased on my recent trip to London. It came from the gift shop in the Tower of London, and despite my love of antique teacups, I could not resist this one.

The antique books I own are another treasure that I hold dear. The first in the line of books in the accompanying picture is actually my husband’s. It is not so old as the others, but as my husband is an electrician, he found the aged electrical guide amusing.

The second book in the group is a combination of two novels written by a woman named Mrs. Inchbald. She was indeed a very interesting woman.

The third book in the group is one of my favorites! It is a book of poetry written by a man named Nicolas Rowe. He was the first modern editor for William Shakespeare, and was apparently very famous in his day. The book cost me nearly $100, but I feel it was worth it. I was so excited to have a little piece of history in my hands that I couldn’t resist!

The last two novels (Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens) were also an impulse buy. They are second (or third?) editions. It would be easier to pinpoint if they had publishing dates, but sadly they do not.

If you’d like to read more about antique book collections, visit my friend Susan’s blog, 'The Granddaddies On My Bookshelf'!

My last (and favourite) things to collect are keys. Skeleton keys to be precise. The older, the better.

The keys showcased in the wooden cabinet were all purchased in St. Andrews, Scotland. The large one sitting at the bottom of the group is from a Highland castle. I cannot describe the excitement I felt upon making that purchase!

The other large key in the photo on the right was allegedly found in the basements of Fort Langley in BC, Canada. From its age, rough appearance, and the source, I am inclined to believe the tale.

 

In the picture of my three circular corkboards, the keys gracing the bottom board are all from London, and the keys on the two boards above were all purchased in BC, Canada.

The two keys that I hold in my hand--in the picture to the right--are by far the gems of my collection.

Upon shopping in Knotting Hill’s Portobello Road in London, England, I came across a very interesting antique key merchant. Oh goodness did he have amazing keys! Some went as high as several thousand dollars, Canadian. The two that I hold here were purchased from that man (though they weren’t so expensive). These two were found in the Thames. They are bronze English keys from medieval times (roughly year 1250). These keys got my heart racing and my desire to own them soaring. That was it. They were mine!

What about you? Do you collect anything? Do you like antiques as much as I do?