Aug26

OKANAGAN TWEENS READ

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OKANAGAN TWEENS READ

PeachfestKiddieParade

Okanagan TWEENS are readers. The  THE CHILDREN’S PARADE at PEACH FEST  this summer highlighted the array of wonderful, rich stories and novels that Canadian authors have currently published. This picture of TWEENS sharing my 3 Frenchie novels in the KIDS PARADE, made me realize that there are so many Middle Grade readers (ages 9-13) who don’t even know that these titles are available in paperback or ebook format. Red Tuque Books distribute the paperbacks of the three novels in the series in Canada. Just click on: http://www.redtuquebooks.ca

Amazon Stores/Book Links

You only have to click on the country you live and you will have access to Kindle formats or paperback of Frenchie Diva (Book #3) If you want Book #1 … Read the rest

Jul22

MENOPAUSAL TRAVELERS SLEEP DEPRIVED IN EUROPE

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MENOPAUSAL TRAVELERS SLEEP DEPRIVED IN EUROPE

You know you’re sleep-deprived when you’ve sat up the entire 9.5 hour night flight in an economy class seat. The two TYPE A travelers would have coped if they hadn’t started their journey with a 5:00 alarm to make a ferry connection first. And no one sleeps well when relying on one’s alarms going off, right? Certainly, arriving at the airport too early for one’s flight and hanging out in the airport for a number of hours, made for an endless day, before even taking off! … And so their story began.

The real fun started when arriving at one’s destination after being awake for 30 hours. Operating in a fuzzy, brain dead state, it only made sense we’d … Read the rest

Jul17

FRIENDSHIP-BUILDING in MIDDLE AGE

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FRIENDSHIP-BUILDING in MIDDLE AGE

After returning from a three-week adventure in Europe, our hostess sent me an email with the following German proverb:

“Came as a stranger and left as a friend.”

It couldn’t have expressed my feelings better.

When our travel plan to Germany and Holland was hatched, it was somewhat decided on a whim. My husband decided to circumnavigate Vancouver Island over a period of 4 weeks with three other sailors. The minute my friend (and sister-in-law) heard this, she pounced. She had a strong yen to return to Germany where she still had a best friend living. My sister-in-law had lived there in another life, back in the 70’s. She asked me at the right time (I had declined the year … Read the rest

Jul16

SUITCASE TRAVEL NIGHTMARES IN EUROPE

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SUITCASE TRAVEL NIGHTMARES IN EUROPE

DISCLAIMER: My travel partner has given me permission to divulge some of the more colourful journeys our overweight suitcases went on during our somewhat muscle agonizing adventure.

One has to ask, where were you when I posted my PACKING DILEMMA before flying to Europe? Someone needed to set me straight – BUT NOOOOO- you didn’t comment. I’m almost certain I would have listened…

Prior to embarking on our BIG ADVENTURE, my traveling partner and I talked almost daily for months about what we’d take (not what we SHOULD take). She’d tour my packing progress, and I’d check out her continuously changing clothing piles spread out in her spare bedroom. Our biggest decision we agonized over for weeks was what outfit … Read the rest

Jun1

PACKING PANIC

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PACKING PANIC

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One night left and it’s off to Europe for 3 weeks! Sounds fantastic, right? truthfully, the anticipation is actually killing me! Why you ask?
1. Procrastination- Tickets were purchased in Nov. (Plenty of time to set itinerary and get packed and organized for trip… Don’t you think?)
2. Traveling with another woman- (Significant collaboration regarding what to wear to the airport, what size of suitcase to take, decisions regarding suitable clothing choices, what host gifts to purchase and transport, … You get the picture, I know you do…)
3. Technology overload- how to communicate with only an iPad, making important CLOTHING decisions based on weather forecasts from weather ap, all bookings – flights, rail and hotels pre-booked on Internet… … Read the rest

May17

Sail Past … KNOT!

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Sail Past … KNOT!

It’s spring and sailing is in the air! The “CAPTAIN“ has been preoccupied with preparations for a sailing trip circumnavigating Vancouver Island. Of course he has!  The pristine 40 foot Beneteau that he and two other “CAPTAINS” will sail at month’s end takes priority. Needless to say, our adequate 28 foot Catalina has been left somewhat neglected in the wake of all the prepping and planning frenzy.

When you belong to a YACHT CLUB, there is always an annual SAIL PAST.  For all of you non-boaters, this means that yacht club members board their boats and do a SAIL PAST to salute their club’s COMMODORE bobbing in her vessel out on the ocean.  … Read the rest

May6

SECOND HONEYMOON? YOU JEST!

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SECOND HONEYMOON? YOU JEST!

I can’t stop chuckling, as I review some of our Caribbean Cruise holiday pictures that were taken back in February.  We had arrived at our last port, Key West, early in the morning.  It was a brilliant sunny day and I had awoken charged, anticipating a romantic walk down memory lane with my husband of 15 years.  That’s right, we had eloped down to Key West (I joined him from Vancouver and he met me from Toronto.) during March Spring Break.  I visualized us leisurely strolling arm-in-arm through the town, reminiscing about our wedding day (City Hall- oh, so quaint! NOT!), the ocean deck/beach for our wedding photos shoot (People hanging over the deck as we waded through the … Read the rest

May3

Dog Friendly Travel Ideas

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Dog Friendly Travel Ideas

Summer holidays are fast approaching and we all seek great ideas for traveling with our families (human kids and fur kids, alike). What you may not know is that http://www.themetrip.com/-dog-friendly.html is a site that offers Travel Tips for everyone, including FUR KIDS.  In fact, the site is so popular that Lorraine Hawley has published a book jammed pack with great ideas for the entire family: Product Details

Explore theme-style activities and adventures. “Themetrips,” are activity ideas that you can use to create your own memorable and interactive family fun while at home or on vacation.

Check out her recent Dog Friendly Post, as there is an AWESOME  SURPRISE!  Frenchie’s Best Friend- Follow the Blog is recommended  (BK. #1 of the Frenchie Series)… Read the rest

Apr30

Literate Fur Kids

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Literate Fur Kids

As a novice gardener, I find myself continually dropping by nurseries these days. When I say novice, I mean it.  The following 3 photos demonstrate the progression from creating a raised garden bed, putting soil in the bed, planting the veggies and VOILÁ!  There are actual little plants germinating in that garden plot!  Simply amazing! Are you amazed?  Tell me you are!

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veggiesCan you see those little veggies poking out of the soil…. hmmm …. I KNOW YOU CAN! Anyways, I have digressed. Is it obvious that I’m becoming a proud gardener?

So, as I was saying, I seem to be hanging out at a lot of nurseries these days and … Read the rest

Apr29

Puppy-Napping

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Puppy-Napping

I thought that I was the only person who had ever coined the phrase “Puppy- Napping” in my latest TWEEN novel, Frenchie Diva- Follow the Blog.14549732_Frenchie Diva Cover JPG( 4341595 ) copy

In this 3rd book of the Frenchie Series, Ethan receives threatening emails from someone in his high school, like the one here:

Listen you Frenchie freaking mama’s boy, you better watch those bulldogs of yours ’cause you NEVER know what can happen …

My novels are contemporary fiction and I couldn’t believe that pets in real life actually do get kidnapped! But then Global News followed a Frenchie Puppy-Napping story last week where a woman came into a tattoo parlor in Vancouver and asked the owner if she could cuddle her … Read the rest