Here are my two my recent paintings. They're both acrylic on canvas.  The smaller, oblong painting is called Into the Trees , while the square canvas is named The Nine Sisters. I feel these show a definite progression in my painting. They form a continuation of my Birkenhead Park series of paintings and sketches, and yet they differ greatly from previous work - less representational, more expressionistic, perhaps.  Anyway, I invite you to let me know what you think of them.   The two photos above show the fuchsias which had seemingly died over winter. Look at them now, in full bloom. Looking at the lower photo reminds me that I must rescue the house leeks which are in the grey Japanese bonsai dish, and which are getting swamped by self-seeded aquilegia. I've had that dish for decades - bought it from The Old Police Station, as it was then called, in Lark Lane, Aigburth, something like 30 years ago, back when Sunday craft fairs were held there. Below is a photo of ...

Rapid sketch of moorhens; 2016. I'm enjoying a spot of annual leave this week, which began with a lively and well-attended writers' event at Bebington Library on Saturday the 19th.  This featured members of Wirral Writers , Bebington Bards , the 3Ls Creative Writing Group and Riverside Writers .  I'm no longer a member of Riverside Writers due to constraints of time, but I had been invited to join in anyway. Due to there being so many writers and poets wishing to read, a strict time limit was imposed and so the audience only heard half of my 1,600 word story, Fame, which is about an obscure, ageing rock singer who has turned up on Facebook.  It's a story about reminiscing and unachieved ambitions which still tempt. My sister Evelyn came to the library event, and afterwards she and I travelled to my home with my friends Tim and Nigel, where we all socialised for a couple of hours and caught up on news. I've been generally tidying up the house.  It is now ...

There is a small but positive book revew of City Stories here , a collection of fiction and poetry by members of Riverside Writers which I edited and contributed to. Riverside Writers now have a new website here .  Since moving from West Kirby to Oxton a year ago I haven't been a member of the group, but I'm pleased to see they're doing well. Pick up your copy of City Stories for FREE here .

Orange  daylily - Hemerocallis fulva Fabian: An Artisan-Sorcerer Story  is now being edited.  The novel will be published on 1st December 2015, all being well. Today I had a wander round The Arno, a small park in Oxton which gets its name from fusing two Anglo-Saxon words:  'arne' (hill) and 'howe' (which means either the name of a person who was as strong as an eagle, or that this was a hill where eagles nested.  Linguists weren't quite sure which it was, apparently).  But a host of volunteer gardeners have been busy making The Arno into a lovely little hideaway usually known for its formal rose garden, but which also has a vibrant Long Border crammed with numerous and colourful cottage garden plants.  If any Wirral artists are looking for masses of flowers to paint, this would be a good place to head to right now, as you can see from this post's photos which I took today.  Click on the photos to see them larger. The Long Border at The...

For the last three years around New Year, I've created a list of goals which I hoped to achieve within the following twelve months.  This is one way to keep track of the progress of various projects and it's a bit of self-entertainment. My goals for 2014 were:- Finish Fabian. Publish a 3rd free ebook anthology which will be called Travel Stories . Write one short story per month (minimum). Continue to collect dolls, swim and have more fun! The bad news is that Fabian:  An Artisan-Sorcerer Story still isn't finished.  The good news is that there remains less than 10,000 words to go, and so the completion of the 100,000 word first draft is well within sight. The proposed free ebook anthology, Travel Stories , has been cancelled as I'll be moving to another area of Wirral and so my involvement with Riverside Writers - the main source of contributions to the ebook - will be greatly reduced.  For the same reason I recently resigned as the group's Chairperson,...

Exclusive greetings cards from Spooky Cute Designs! Temperatures have dropped today.  The wind has a sharp edge to it which wasn't there yesterday, when I was potting a few small plants and some bulbs to take with us when we move, and raking autumn leaves into piles before scooping them into our rusting wheelbarrow.  It felt odd tidying the garden, knowing someone else will benefit. This garden did not exist when Richard and I bought this house in 2000.  The contorted hazel tree and cherry tree were lonely starting points in a mass of waist-high weeds.  Slowly, slowly, our garden was created.   And now we're leaving it all behind, hoping that the new owners will tend it and add to it and enjoy it for years to come. The sale of this house and the purchase of our new home is, as of this morning, in the hands of our solicitors.  Here's to a swift and smooth settlement. Over the last couple of months, we've visited several houses with a view to buying...

What do you think of the new-look website?  The aim was to simplify the layout, reducing three columns to two so there was less visual clutter.  There's also a new colour scheme to consider; apparently some people using an old monitor found the previous one a little difficult to read. The temporary hiatus which Riverside Writers' meetings have undergone will end soon, as West Kirby Library have nearly finished repairing the interior after bits of the ceiling fell off.  The next meeting of Riverside Writers will take place on the 27th of this month.  Tim phoned to pass on the news about the library being ready to re-open, so my next little job is to zap an email round to everyone on the group's mailing list. Speaking of mailing lists, did you know I have a free emailing list with Yahoo Groups?  To sign up, use the clickable box in the side column.  Membership brings a number of privileges, such as having book release d...

City Stories: Tales of Modern Liverpool ISBN: 9781310916939 Love, terror and 21st century life! From the heart of cosmopolitan Liverpool come nine thrilling views of modern living. Blood-drinkers, killers and secrets. Old sorrows and new beginnings. The light and dark of human life set against the glittering backdrop of a reinvigorated city. City Stories. Tales of life today. Featuring:- Tim Hulme William R Jones Caroline Hubbard Andy Siddle Jason Barney Jack Horne Adele Cosgrove-Bray Pick up your FREE copy today here! Other distribution outlets will follow over the new few weeks.

City Stories, FREE ebook anthology   Contributors : Tim Hulme William R Jones Caroline Hubbard Andy Siddle Jason Barney Jack Horne Adele Cosgrove-Bray   Here's a preview of the front cover for the forthcoming City Stories ebook anthology, which is currently being proofread with help from Andy Siddle and Tim Hulme.  The photo on the cover depicts part of the Albert Dock in Liverpool, and was taken by my husband Richard, (who's currently trying to mend a broken stand for one of my Tangkou dolls).   Frog pond with pennywort, water soldiers, fairy moss and shy goldfish.   Who'd have guessed that fish have personalities?  To prevent the frog pond from becoming home to a legion of blood-sucking mosquitoes, my brother Eric suggested adding a few goldfish.  Three have been making themselves at home beneath the gradually-spreading canopy of pennywort and fairy moss.  They seem to like snoozing under the water soldier...

Shabby Chic - Toad Style!   One of our compost bins has been selected as a desirable residence by a toad.  Here he is, perched on top of an egg shell amidst a colourful squelch of veg and fruit peelings.  Toady seems entirely content, and has shown a distinct disinterest in moving on despite the lower edge of the compost bin having been propped up on an old brick so Toady can come and go easily.  Each time Richard or I go to the compost bin, we first have to check to make sure Toady has ambled off to one side to avoid being buried by a small avalanche of soggy teabags and kitchen peelings.   Location, location, location...  It's a handy spot for an amphibian.  The decomposing compost will help keep Toady warm in winter, and the thick recycled rubber walls of the bin itself will protect Toady from the worst of the winter storms.  The neighbours are edible.  And come spring, when Toady's feeling especially so...

Welcome to this series of writing tips.  If you would like to pen a guest post for this series, email me at ACBwrites@aol.com . One of the frequently occurring ideas have met with, during my years with Riverside Writers, insists that there is, hidden away somewhere, a formula which guarantees success. People holding to this belief will invest much time and energy on courses, workshops, 'How To' books, endless research or the latest software searching for this formula. Courses may be interesting and educational, and the student may well graduate clutching a pretty certificate and a sense of personal fulfilment. Something similar could be said of workshops, and any gathering of like-minded people can bring an opportunity for networking. Both courses and workshops tend to be money-earning ventures, which is no bad thing in itself - most people like to supplement their income! - but remember that as educational establishments are now run as businesses, it is in thei...

Welcome to this series of writing tips. If you would like to pen a guest post for this series, email me at ACBwrites@aol.com . The challenge of filling the blank space on a screen can feel daunting to some new writers.  They want to write but can't quite get going.  They can write, but don't know where to start.  They've a million ideas but what if it all goes wrong?  So they stare at the screen and wait for inspiration to zap some inspiration into their lives.  Meanwhile, the clock's ticking and nothing is getting written.  The more this hurdle is thought about, the bigger it seems to get. At Riverside Writers, we set a monthly writing project to give people a starting point.  This can take the form of a title, a location, a first line or a set of objects which need to be included in a story or poem.  We have been doing this for several years now and those who participate regularly have found it a very useful tool to help them get writing....

Emily and Poppi inspecting this morning's snow.     It was not my intention to photograph my dog's derriere, however this is the best of this morning's three quick snapshots.  Two seconds later, both dogs had sprinted back inside having already had quite enough of cold paws thank you very much.   I've been busy finishing off several projects, including an NVQ Level 3 in Customer Care which is now 98% complete.  It would have been finished entirely if my tutor hadn't resigned last week, which means I now have to wait for another to be employed by the college.  I'm not best pleased, as I'd like to have the course over and done with, but these things happen.  I've also been doing another job-related course, which is now two-thirds complete.   On the writing front, I'm currently working on a piece destined for Riverside Writers' forthcoming anthology of short stories and poetry set in a fictional apartment block in Live...

If you're wondering why the ticket, pictured above, calls last night's event at Bebington Library "Valentine Stories" even though it's nearly a month late, it's because the original booking was delayed, apparently.  The event brought together members of four of Wirral's writing groups:  Riverside Writers , Wirral Writers , 3Ls and Ace of Scribes, (who don't seem to have a website). Once the good-sized audience had settled down with glasses of red or white wine, or orange juice, and a plate offering sliced Swiss roll and little sponge cakes had done the rounds, the readings began - and the next two hours were filled by a diverse and interesting collection of stories and poetry. Fellow members of Riverside Writers, Tim Hulme and Peter Hurd, both read stories.  Tim's also a member of the 3Ls, so he already knew many of the people there.  My contribution to the evening was Sally , a 1,000 word urban fantasy/comtemporary fiction piece ...

On Thursday 7th (tomorrow), I'll be amongst a group of writers who'll be reading some of their work to an audience at Bebington Library, Wirral.  Two other members of Riverside Writers, Tim Hulme and Peter Hurd, will also be taking part but I have no further details about who else might be. If I'm not mistaken, the event has been organised by the 3Ls .  I think the event starts at 7.30pm, and I have no idea if there's an entry fee.  My apologies for the rather vague information, but it's all I have!

Never underestimate a Jack Russell Terrier     It's a pity this photo didn't turn out better.  I've tried tweaking it but the image suffers from poor exposure.  I had been busy in the kitchen and decided to check up on our two Jack Russells.  They'd dragged a cushion off the couch and taken it onto the patio.  And there they were, contentedly sunbathing in comfort.  I didn't want them to stand up before I had chance to take the photo, so I quickly put the batteries back into my digi camera - it devours batteries if they're not removed - and snapped this on Auto.  Is that cute or what, hmm?   It is as well that they enjoyed the sunshine as it's poured with rain almost non-stop since.  The car park behind The Concourse was largely underwater last night as Tim and I arrived for the Riverside Writers meeting.  We discussed several versions of the proposed front cover for Seaside Stories, as this project is nearing complet...

Poppi   Poppi and Emily, blanket buddies   Sunny snoozes     These photos answer the queries about how our two dogs are getting along with each other.   They're both doing fine together, as can be seen.   A fresh coat of white emulsion is now on the kitchen walls.  A second coat will be needed, and I'll need to do the ceiling too.  The external doors and a few internal doors are sporting fresh paint as well.  All of them need doing though,  the problem of new white paint being that it makes every other surface look like it needs painting.  We're just doing everything white, doing the Blank Canvas thing.   I've begun compiling the contributions for Seaside Stories , which will be a free ebook showcasing original stories and poetry from Riverside Writers members, including me.  As a group, we published a paperback anthology in 2010 and while we had fun doing that we also found that distribution was an iss...

The paperback edition of Tamsin is now available from Amazon.com  and the Amazon UK outlet should be available in a few days. Last night's Riverside Writers meeting was interesting.  One of our members, Elizabeth Gates,  has a BA. Honours in English Language and Literature and an MA in Linguistics.  Since 1985, she has been a practising journalist. She is also an experienced ghostwriter. In 2005, Elizabeth trained as a personal and executive coach with the prestigious coach training school, Coaching Development. Since then she has developed the Lonely Furrow Company, which specialises in writing coaching and communication coaching using transactional analysis, neuro-linguistic programming and accelerated learning techniques. Elizabeth ran a workshop on how to overcome writers block.  She had put a considerable amount of forethought into the workshop, and included a few simple writing exercises, the first of which asked us ...

Seaside Stories (working title) will be a free ebook distributed through Amazon Kindle and Smashwords (and via Smashwords, through Barnes & Noble, Sony, Apple iPlayer, Kobo, and Diesel). No-one earns any money - the aim is solely promotional. Wanted:   stories and poetry with a seaside theme.   Any genre is ok.  Poetry should be no longer than 40 lines.  Stories should be no longer than 1500 words.  But this is a guideline only - query if you have something which you think would be perfect but is outside of these word counts. Submissions Deadline:   June 1st, 2012. How to submit:    Submissions are open to all members of Riverside Writers , who are invited to send up to three pieces each, or more if they are smallish pieces.   Ask if unsure.   Participants might want to include a small biography of up to 500 words (no photos). Send by email to riversidewriters@aol.com .  Please do not send attachments.   ...

Here's the poster for this year's Parallel Dimensions, which takes place on Saturday 10th December at West Kirby Library.  Doors open at 2pm, but be early to ensure a seat as previous PDs have been well-attended. This is the third Parallel Dimensions, so I think it's ok to call it an annual event now. FREE event!  Please pass on the image and the information.  If you have any queries, either leave a message here or email me.