Family time of year

One of my brother's lovely shots

Hello, to all my friends in cyberspace. I hope this festive season isn't causing too much stress for you.
My brother has returned home, my 50th birthday party was held on Saturday night (it was a hoot) and just when I thought life would settle down before the Christmas day food binge, more changes are in the air.
My son and his fiance and three little ones under four, are moving in indefinitely. My other son and his wife are already here for three months and my daughter and her hubby come regularly for weekends and holidays. Just as well the renovating is almost finished!
As family is number one in my life, I shall be putting all other priorities after them. So writing and critiquing will have to take a back seat for a while. Maybe my TBR pile of books will get some attention, as a good read is easier to fit into smaller time frames than using my own brain!!
Just in case I don't get another chance, I would like to wish you all God's grace and peace during this special time of year. May His blessings and prosperity reign over you through the new year and I pray you find the reason for the season.
Bless you heaps, Annie

Holiday mode, learning new things

Hi all,
Here is a beautiful shot of our favorite place where we live.
I am in holiday mode at the moment. My brother is visiting and we are doing the 'tourist thing'. The main past-time is photography as he has just purchased a new camera and having lots of fun figuring out the settings.
It reminds me of when I started writing. I knew all the basics, so I thought, but when I started learning more, I realized just how much I didn't know in the beginning. Whatever new avenues we open ourselves up for in life, there is always more to learn.
My dear friend who passed away this year said, gaining new knowledge is never wasted. How true this is.
It doesn't matter how old we are, we should always endeavor to learn new things, discover new places, plunge into new adventures, and let's not forget to make new friends in the process. Being outward focused, not inward centered will lead to an exciting year ahead.
Regards Annie

My life from A to Z

My online friend Patricia did this on her blog so I am copying the idea. I have changed some things coz I am not into them or don't know what they are, here down under!!

Click on my title to go to Patricia's blog entry

A - Age: 50 (soon)

B - Best Friend: Colleen & Vicki

C - Choice of Meat: Beef, rump

D - Dream Date: Hubby & I had an amazing 6 week date in 06. Every day was like a dream date. From the intimate dinner watching the lights of the Colosseum illuminate at night, to Venice (no place like it for romantic atmosphere) to the Eiffel Tower laser light show in his arms while standing over the river Seine, to crowded Irish pubs. I could rave forever, and probably will!!!!

E - Exciting Adventure: Apart from the above trip of a lifetime, I’d have to say for adventure it was climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

F - Favorite Food: I love chicken curry and smoked salmon, when I dine out, I usually order one of those two. If I am on a diet which is most of the time, then its Greek salad.

G - Greatest Accomplishment: Starting university at 44 years of age. Finishing with a double major.

H - Happiest Day of Your Life: My wedding day, but there is always something special about watching your children commit their lives to their life-partners too.

I - Interests: Reading and writing, photography, surfing the net (on it you can travel anywhere in the universe, that's pretty cool.

J - Joke: That would be me, the joker!!

K – Koalas or Kittens: I’m allergic to cats, so I would have to say Koalas.

L - Love: John 3 16 or in the words of a song lyric, ‘what the world needs now, is love sweet love, it’s the only thing that there’s just too little of’

M - Most Valued Possession: My wedding ring. After 25 years of marriage I had my wedding and engagement rings remodelled. It is gorgeous. Always was, still is.

N - Name: Ann but my girlfriends call me Annie, so I write as Annie because I would like all my readers to think of me as a girlfriend (the female ones anyway)

O - Outfit You Love: I love longer line Tshirts to wear around the house, or sleep in but don’t have one ATM because I don’t like them saggy baggy with big sleeves either. Hard to come by.

P - Pizza Toppings: Garlic and olive supreme

Q - Question Asked To You the Most: Have you got a job yet?

R – Results or relationships: I like to see results for my efforts, but on the whole I am a relationships person. Life is full of them.

S - Sport: Australian rugby league football, watching not playing LOL

T - Television Show: Other than the footie telecasts, Enough Rope with Andrew Denton

U - Umbrella in the rain?: It doesn’t rain much where I live. Just enough for it to be lush but not overdone!! So gotta say on the whole – nope.

V - Video: How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, Serendipity, and an older one Shining Through, oh and The Thomas Crown Affair with Rene Russo and Pierce Brosnan. AND All romances, old or latest releases!!!

W - Winter: It is lovely here in winter, only crisp days (not too cold) and often beautiful clear blue skies. This is the winter haven for Aussies to holiday!

X - X-rays recently?: No. Though I did have a brain scan once, and yes I do have one!!!

Y - Year Born: 1957

Z – Zoo animal: chimpanzee, coz he’s always funny and he’s always doing something

Tautologies and RAS syndrome

Are we afflicted with RAS? What is it you may well ask?

RAS syndrome is, as Wikipedia explains, a repetition of one of the words making up an acronym. The most common uses are ATM machine, HIV virus and PIN number.

Wikipedia says the Redundant Acronym Syndrome syndrome, “is itself a humorous example of a redundant acronym”.

Which brings me to tautologies. For those who don’t know what a rhetorical tautology is, let’s ask Wikipedia again. It says it is the unnecessary and often unintentional repetitive use of words or meanings that, in effect, mean exactly the same thing. Exactly is the same. So, I need only have written their meaning is exact or their meaning is the same. To use both was a redundant use of words. A free gift, is another example. Though sometimes it is written to emphasize that the gift has no expectations with it, as opposed to say, a gift with purchase.

As I see this happening in many of the critiques I’m doing at the moment, I thought I would write about it here. Forgive me, crit partners, but I will mention a few, to give you an idea of how easily they can sneak in to our manuscripts.

He hesitated answering a moment.

I sucked it up, taking a deep breath.

At a loss for words, I said nothing.

Do you have any questions, class?

LOL Annie