A Rhyme for the day

TODAY: (apologies to Real Poets)

I woke in a good mood
started with a breakfast of good food
Walked the dogs in the morning cool
Didn't check mail for ages to break the rule
Down to Cubelles to ensure the cats were fed
Shared a drink and chat with Sue to clear my head
Shopped in Lidl, stocked up on food, money well spent
E-mailed and Whatsapped with a friend in Kent
Read my new book
Gave the TV a look
Cooked and ate dinner
Now that meal won't get me thinner
Sent out the month's TulStig News
Hope it'll stop some friends from getting the blues
more TV to end the day
a call from dear friends that are on their way
So soon to bed as tomorrow's a big one
Friends gonna arrive another weekend of fun.

All this makes me one happy lucky chap
but luck doesn't just land in your lap
I've enjoyed getting here by honest hard work
responsibility I'll never shirk
and before I stop and turn off the light
I'll simply wish you a dream-filled and perfect night.
And don't forget tonight's moon is blue
a rare event, lucky for me and lucky for you.

GOOD NIGHT! XX

A story of the day...

What a day, What a wonderful day.

This morning I had a phone call from two friends I made on my last Camino: Lennie and Jan from Holland. They were in Austria and fed up with the rain so asked if they could come stay for a few days. They are currently on their way by car, ETA sometime this weekend.

My next job of the morning was my daily trip to feed Dominic, Denzel and Doris -my current charges.  Whilst with them I spent some 'me' time reading.

Next shopping, and when I came out of the supermarket it was raining cats and dogs - a blessed relief - which has continued on and off all day. Hopefully it'll stop before Lennie and Jan get here.

MY ongoing promotion of 'The Magic of the Camino' is paying dividends. I now have 94 likes for my 'Facebook' Magic of the Camino Page, and sales are up on last month.

I've even spent some time writing for my new project, which is currently without a title. Yesterday I introduced 'The Guardian' today let me introduce Erasmus:

Some of you may recognise him as R2 one of our twins, but don't be fooled he is also Erasmus, a cat of incredible intelligence and a travelling companion for uncle Vern!


 

Gardening and the guardian, plus...

I love our garden even when it surprises me with critter like the one above, which is actually bigger in real life than in the picture. IT jumped a bit when I took the photo causing a girlie scream to burst from my lips -well I was up close and personal! It is truly beautiful, but scary at the same time. Fortunately the cats haven't noticed it, or they have and are staying well clear- whichever that's good. 

Today I have been pondering on my next writing 'assignment'. I have been unsure whether to start on the children's book that has been bouncing round in my head for a while, or to set to with my next true Camino adventure.  Well as often happens the universe took a hand in my decision:
First of all in an e-mail conversation with Nick he made it clear which I should be writing next.  Then I got an e-mail from someone who is interested in doing the illustrations for the children's book (the last one didn't work out!) - so I sat down and thought about a plot outline and had it down on paper in no time. Even my little garden friend at the top of the page make an appearance -he's a semi-baddie who is a guardian.
As for the basic story:

A has been entrusted with a secret, or at least with the essence of a secret, by his great uncle Vern, who has mysteriously disappeared. A believes he knows where and why. 

It is down to A to convince his brothers and cousins to work together and help him find the parts of the key which when fitted together will open the chest which holds the book of REAL magic.

The book of REAL magic holds the knowledge to reshape the Earth's future, and reset the balance that has for too long been missing.

Whilst collecting the parts of the key A and his band of adventurers encounter all manner of special beings who can either help them in their quest or stop them in their tracks. 

Interested? I am and it would seem my muse is ready to work again......

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Got no time to worry - oops breaching copyright here, so I'll just post this:

SO why did we have lazy Sunday afternoon? - cos we had lunch on the seafront and then a siesta for nearly two hours. Isn't life a blast!!

Lunch on the seafront was at:

Vila Tapa. Bar Taperia

Paseo Del Carme,13. Vilanova i la Geltru.

Tel: 938156559

 It's a small place right next door to Cafe de les Artes, our favourite place to relax on a Sunday morning, or any other time come to that! And here's Tony with a bottle of fizzy water, whilst I'm on my usual pre-lunch tipple of vermouth.

We weren't sure there would be much for us, but had been recommended, via Julie, by JanWillem -our 'Energy-healer vet friend.

The restaurant has a full tapas menu and a Free Buffet - now that doesn't mean you don't pay it means you just help yourself to what you want.

We checked out the buffet and had a selection of salad items, all nicely presented and tasty enough. The hot food, though, was almost exclusively fishy and meaty. We did manage to get some grilled mushrooms and some sauté potatoes, but sadly neither were very hot.  The chilled red wine, on the other hand, was well chilled and perfect for a Sunday lunch on the seafront.
The deserts on the buffet were pretty much generic, with a selection of fruits and sliced gateaux. Nice enough but not heart topping -and yes I did have two helpings!
The staff were a mixed bag to say the least. The first waiter we met was very pleasant, but made it plain that he thought we were tourists. The Chinese woman who appeared to own the place stood around with a face like thunder, and the waitress who appeared to be in charge needed a new pair of trousers -hers were quite inappropriate. 

Will we eat there again- unlikely - but I'm sure if you eat meat, or fish especially, it would be a good place to eat. One of my ex-students was there- so maybe that was a recommendation.
WE did enjoy our lunch sitting in the open, on the first cooler day we've had in an age, but felt a little short changed again -yep a 'veggie-whinge'.
The bill came to just under 40€, which wouldn't have been bad if the choice for us had been better. I was a tad annoyed though that the menu price did not include IVA (value added tax) so ended up paying more than we thought. At the end of this month IVA is being hiked by the government which will make this even less of a place we will plan to go back to.

Techno, Techno, Techno

No limit -  2 unlimited

Thought I'd start things off slightly differently - We loved this song back in the day, and as I get techno advanced I was thinking of it again today.

As many of you will remember I was a little panicked a while back when I got my first android phone- well of course, just like everyone else, I love it now. My latest addition to the phone, thanks to advice from Julie, is VIBER - A free programme for making free calls and texts (SMS) mobile to mobile all across the world. SO if you haven't got it yet, but have an android, i-phone, windows phone, blackberry go to your phone download store (I use Play store) and download it and we can chat for NOTHING!! A a back up I also have WhatsApp, but this is just free texts (SMS) internationally- which is a great back up service and something I used loads whilst on the Camino back in June. 

 So that was the phone techno'd.

I've been looking around for an Internet hosting site as I want to set up a professional site for House of Tulstig' and upgrade 'Tulstig.net'. I think I've got that sorted now, but it's all so complicated with so much jargon I have to look up so many things.

As well as getting a new website host I downloaded a new website creation programme which I've spent the last few days messing around with. Frustration has been followed by 'Ahh' moments as things fall into place in my head -Still not quite got the hang of it all yet but getting there.

One way I want to improve the websites is to get moving images on them -Flash programmes. So 've been checking into those too. I think I've found a pretty simple to use one ofn the web and during the wek will have a go on its test software.

So all in all watch this space for a new 'House of TulStig' and 'WWW.Tulstig.net' with new features. I may even give our personal site a complete overhaul.

DUNNIT !!

A quick update this evening.

I have just finished the uploads necessary to complete my second novel -'Take Two'.

The book follows the story of some of the characters who we first met in 'Winner' -I say we as it was also in this book that the characters introduced themselves to me, one by one.

I have loved the writing process again, and am happy, more than happy, with the finished product.

I am now waiting for the proof copy of the book to arrive (hopefully within 7 days) and once I've proofed it I shall make it available for general sale on www.lulu.com just like the others.

So if you've been waiting to catch up with Joey and Vick, Gisela, Lucy and some of the other characters your wait will not be much longer. However, be warned not everyone made it to the second book!!

Writing and stuff

This week I have committed to working for the next four days on my writing and related things. I am doing this within a group of other like-minded people. The inspiration being created in the group is motivating and, well, inspirational! 
Even before the commitment started (Today) I got into it all-

• Organising and editing 'Winner' ready for an E-book -TICK
• Setting up a page for House of TulStig' on Facebook.  - TICK

Today I planned

• to edit at least 150 pages of Take Two. I ended up doing over 200 pages -just over 80 or so to go now - TICK
• to do some research into a 'House of TulStig' website.  TICK

I even signed up with a web-hosting company and now have 'Houseoftulstig.com' as a an additional domain to 'TulStig.net' - stepping outside my comfort zone now- and have been trying to set up the site- well outside my comfort zone now - After a few hours of messing around I set it aside before getting too frustrated. I did manage to set up an e-mail address for the site (information@houseoftulstig.com - if you want to give it as test for me?) -As for the rest Ill be approaching it bit by bit, so if you've any tips just let me know....

Feeling kinda pleased with myself for goals reached, but less comfortable about the website -stuff.. Never mind tomorrow's another day.