Perfect places—in my mind and in my life. Some I've visited some I haven't

 This blog is brought to you by the help of one of my friends, who when I said I had no idea for this weeks Raven's Ramblings she suggested I shared some of my favourite places, both ones visited and ones on my wish list

I liked the idea of that, until I realised how spoiled for choice I am.

I've been incredibly lucky to visit some amazing places over the years. That's me in Da Nang, Vietnam, a few years ago (just before covid lockdown) Where the lovely husband (henceforth to be LH in this blog) and I have been a couple of times. We stopped in a hotel by the beach and had some lovely walks on the sands. Not only that they made gluten free pumpkin bread for me.

It's no secret that I love Hong Kong and have spent many a happy hour over the years exploring. While the LH worked, I went all over the place with my travel pass. Stanley? No problem. Bus all the way. Or ferry and bus, or MTR and bus. I've done the lot. Kennedy Town? Use the trams. Sai Kung? Okay I go there with the LH but otherwise I've been explored the parks or just sat and watched the world go by next to the harbour and plotted a few books set there.

I've even met up with my ex hairdresser.

I've been lucky enough to visit New Zealand. Wanaka is definitely in my top ten list. I've even included the place in a couple of books... After all That Wanaka Tree is famous.

We visited a dark sky area, lots of wineries and crossed the Cook Straits by ferry on a luckily flat calm day.

Australia? Yes, and would love to go back again. The Great Ocean Road is a fabulous drive. 

Singapore? I love the place and hate the humidity. The stone cats on the quay are cute.

South Africa? Oh yes, definitely. We visit most years. I honestly have trouble picking my favourite places there. Knysna on the lagoon is brilliant. Great fish.

Franschhoek? Oh yes, the wine tram is a great way to visit the wineries for a tasting. 

Hout Bay? Beaches, breweries and an open top bus ride into Cape Town. 

I could go on and on but...

I'll go on to some other places instead.

Barbados? Everything about the island is interesting. Beach walks, plantation visits, learning the (not always nice) history. Can't seem to find my pics...

Closer to home, I reckon Venice was amazing, even when we had to wait on a crowded boat for an hour before we could set back to our hotel due to a thunderstorm. I still have a beautiful necklace of Murano glass.

 Even closer to home... Shaldon Devon, a lovely village at the mouth of an estuary, 

The Isle of Skye

My wish to go to list is endless. Canada, India, Mauritius, Northern Island,  are all on it. So are places I've been to briefly, some many years ago and would love to go back. Wales, Eire, Cornwall, the Dordogne. The English lakes... 

And that's it. I could go on and on but I won't. I know I've been very fortunate over the years. I've had the opportunity to visit places I dreamed of. Places not on my list because I could go on and on. Not always a sit in the sun holiday. Walking, reading, sightseeing, shivering, writing... I can and do write anywhere. I have fabulous memories, some scary ones as well. I am not one for heights!

But all in all, well, if it all has to stop tomorrow... I can pull out my memories as well as my photo's and think..wow

How lucky I am.

Wherever you are, take care and 

happy reading,

love Raven xx

Where I ponder about half full or half empty...

 I invested in a new fitness watch thingy this last week as my old one isn't really keeping its charge for long. (Probably sick of me checking it and exclaiming, "I must have walked further than that!"

(source, pinterest)

This new one is of course nothing like my old one. I installed the app and went through the list of do you, are you, will you, etcetera and did my best to answer the questions. I was tempted to miss out a few but the darned thing wouldn't let me.

Then I came to the bit where you have to say if you're a glass half full person or one who says half empty.

(source, pinterest)

That got me thinking. I read about who says what with interest, and wondered if it's true that saying half full means you're a more positive person than someone who says it's half empty.

I realise I say it's half full, (or it's still half full) until there's not a lot of whatever is in it, and then I'd say it's almost empty. That's me being literal, but what about in the grand scheme of things?

Definitely half full?

I went on to the next question. Am I happy, and the all of the time, some of the time etcetera. 

And to the next, and the next. And then I thought, half full or half empty, I need coffee!

By the time I'd finished I needed a full glass—and not of coffee!

However, it did make me realise that in general I'm happy with my lot. That I'm lucky I can do something I love—writing—accept there's things I have to do I don't—disturbing the dust bunnies, cleaning the shower—and tootle along in life, grateful for what I have.

(source, pinterest)

The fitness watch thingy, is on my wrist, no doubt tutting at what I should be doing and I'm not, and sighing, 'at last', when I do do something right. It's not managed to show me how it celebrates when I do the magic number of steps I should—I haven't managed that in the two days i've had it—and some of it's signs and symbols have me mystified. However, it's great as a torch when I get up to go to the loo in the middle of the night!

(If that's TMI, oops sorry)

Now if only I could read a book on it, I'd be sorted.

Happy reading, 

love, Raven xx

What I really want to know—why did he lie and who is Sarah?

 We've been away for a few days, and I had a rather interesting night...

Around two am I was woken by what sounded like people in the house. Footsteps, doors closing, people talking.

I of course being the brave woman thought should I get up and check?

Hmmm. 

I woke the lovely husband instead.

He, bless him did the mosey on down and check and found nothing. got back into bed and was soon fast off.

But I couldn't get to sleep. wondered what I'd heard.

Then around 3am I definitely could hear a loud—and occasionally not so loud conversation.

Him (let's call him Keith, Although I never heard her (we will call her Kath) say his name or him, hers.

Keith, "Okay I lied alright?"

(Me listening, because I couldn't help but listen. If I hadn't known better I'd have thought they were conducting their 'conversation' at the bottom of our bed) "no it definitely isn't right, mate."  (I only thought this, didn't say it. Maybe I should have.)

Kath....mutter, mutter..." You F***ed Sarah."

Keith. "It was...." mutter mutter.

Kath, "But Sarah."

Keith. "You didn't need to..."

Then there was a sort of silence.

Aha I thought, the've either moved rooms or given up. 

Ten minutes later.

Keith. "I told you, okay?"

Kath. "Bloody Sarah. Sc***ing Her. Why her?"

More mutters...

Silence

Ten minutes later.

Keith. "Can we just forget this? Yes I lied."

Kath (and me) "You must be joking."

Silence for about thirty seconds.

Kath. "It was not making love, but if it was why?"

Keith. mutter mutter. "so..." mutter mutter.

Kath. "Enough, Anyone but f*****g her."

(are we still talking about Sarah?)

Keith... "I did."

(did what I wonder)

4 am...

Silence.

Now the writer's imagination goes into overdrive. Will I see am ambulance next door? A police car? Lots of blue flashing lights? Someone in handcuffs? Should we have reported a disturbance?

The thing was neither Kath nor Keith sounded angry. Just loud.

Anyway around 9 am we saw them head out together...

I wonder who Sarah is and why he lied... and what happened next?

Not a peep out of them the following night and we enjoyed our few days at the coast

Sadly not this one, but hey ho!

Happy reading

love Raven xxx

Ps I know a lot of people can't comment on here for some reason (probably because I'm not very techno-savvy,) but feel free to comment on Goodreads. Thanks.

I know I'm 'of a certain age' because...

I refuse to grow old gracefully

I have to rearrange my face in the morning so as not to scare the postman. Why do we end up looking so weird? Or is it just me?

I use my hands to manoeuvre and make sure I sit properly on the loo seat. Don't want to be half on and half off. That could be dangerous.

I say things I remember my mum saying and cringe.

I often repeat myself—more than twice.

I say I like new things but sometimes wonder...

I'm happy to say that I do NOT like cheese and doubt I ever will.

I love chocolate.

I probably forget more than I remember.

But I'm happy in my own skin. 

I don't care if what I wear is fashionable or not.

I wish I'd saved more stuff from years ago that's now back in fashion.

I still own a pair of original 1960's Mary Quant tights.

And a mini dress

Sadly I never looked as good as Twiggy

But I'm lucky. I followed a dream and got published, even if I was almost at bus pass age.

Now if only I could get an all out best seller... (we all need a positive dream)

Happy reading,

love, Raven xxx

(all images, pinterest)

Where I put on my gluten-free author hat

 And say, firmly, that gluten free is not flavour free.

That if you are gluten intolerant, or Coeliac, you can still eat well and enjoy food with flavour. 

If that makes sense? (I wanted to put flavoursomely, but spell-check had a hissy fit.)

Anyway... to continue.

Some people are of the opinion that any food with the crossed grain symbol—whatever the colours used—means lacking taste or flavour.

(Source... pinterest)

How wrong can they be?

Gluten free foods have come a long way in the last twenty years. It's not just rice cakes and a bread so heavy, that, if thrown would kill a sparrow at two hundred yards. A lot of g-f food tastes exactly the same as gluten full. 

For instance, I do not have gluten-full flour in my house. I bake g-f and that's what any visitor gets. Can they tell the difference?

No!

Of course I'm sure if I put two slices next to each other one g-f and one with gluten, some would (or might guess) but in general, no they wouldn't. I only have g-f sausages, burgers, bbq ribs etc. I use g-f pasta, cornflakes and gravy granules. The lovely husband eats the lot with no complaints.

Which evidently is unusual because the one thing that he says is different is the pasta. But not much else. (Either that or he's got used to it)

However it made me wonder when someone told me they had picked up g-f sausages in a very well shop that has an excellent food department, and they said they were horrible. She'd shopped there for years and never had horrible ones before. As all the meat sausages in the shop in question are all g-f and have been for several years...????

(Source, pinterest)

(I've eaten all mine)

Gluten-free definitely has a stigma. People who have to follow a g-f diet are often told it's a fad, they are being awkward, it won't harm them...

Wrong.

Yes, okay, for some it might be a fad, a diet thing, but for most people it is not.

 If you're coeliac and eat gluten, apart from feeling like something the cat's dragged in, (making friends with the loo, stomach pains, mouth ulcers...) you're harming your health. It's a long term, life threatening condition.

Enough of the lecture.

It's not always easy. Do you know how fiddly it is to make Scotch Eggs or picnic eggs? Having to dissect a pack of sausages to make the sausage meat, because it's nigh on impossible to find the g-f version of the stuff unless it's near Christmas? Making your own bread and whatever covering? (I use g-f cornflakes home made rice flour and g-f bread for mine) It's worth it in the long run, but we don't have them very often. Life is too short!

Yes, I did make them. And the cooling tray must be an antique. It was my mums and I always remember it at home. It was either a wedding present for her and dad or a house moving present. Which makes it over 70 years old! None of which is relevant to gluten free foods, except I also cool my cakes on it.

Also totally irrelevant to all this except, this is in Cote and absolutely gorgeous

Things like pastry you can now buy chilled and pre-rolled! YES!!!!! 

Some fish is g-f breaded or battered. Some is great, and yes some is horrible. It's trial and error. Ditto pies and puds.

But please don't dismiss it all. 

A lot of food is gluten-free because it just doesn't have gluten in it. No barley, wheat, oats and rye. It's not always marked as such. If it is processed food make in a factory that does have gluten in it, it will say so.

But most unprocessed is naturally gluten free. (I've put most to be on the safe side) Meat, veg, fruit...Rice, quinoa, nuts...

I'm a champion at label-reading.

And rice cakes are your friend. And mine. Especially the chocolate covered ones.

Happy Eating,

love Raven xxx

P.S I do have several g-f heroines...

(and I do write about cake)

Where I wonder...Do I toss a coin?

I uttered more than a sigh of relief when I set off my m/s to my editor this last week.

For some reason I stuttered around 5k from the end. Whatever I wrote just didn't seem to work and then...

bingo... or eureka...or whatever word works for you...

I realised what was  wrong (setting) and hopefully sorted it.

Got rid of the 68 times I've put two words together that my publisher doesn't like...re-read it...

Well now we wait and see. Wonder if it is any good.

Meanwhile, that means I'm not writing anything.

And I'm twitchy.

I can't remember the last time I didn't actively have a book on the go. Or one waiting to be written or finished.

It's a bit worrying to be honest. I have ideas but nothing is screaming 'write me'.

I've pulled up a couple of outlines and first 5k's I've written and then put aside to do edits or something. Made notes for a story a bit out of my comfort zone...

But...

Is it any wonder I'm twitchy?

So today, be it rain or shine, I'll drag the lovely husband out for a walk along the coast. 

Bounce some ideas ( if I can think of any) off him and see what transpires. The poor man, I'm sure he is often confused by my musings—I can't really blame him, I can be as well—but he tries to give me his opinions. Sometimes I agree, often I don't, but it can and does help.

Meanwhile, I wonder...anyone got a coin I can toss?

Happy reading,

love, Raven xxx

(first two images, source, pinterest, last one, source me)

When you know it's time to press the delete button...or do you?

 This week my fingers have been hovering over the delete button on many an occasion. Hovered, but only pressed for one paragraph where I'd repeated myself and some typos.

(all pics, source, pinterest)

Why?

I'm at the stage of trying to finish a book and it's not playing game. Oh the story could end where it is but I'd feel cheated of this extra chapter it needs. It's a sort of coming together, but it's the chapter before the last one.

Unusually for me, I've written the last chapter already and don't want to delete it.

Although the fingers hovered.

It made me wonder why. 

I reread the book and forced myself not to say this is pants, that's rubbish and do a wholesale get rid of these x amount of words. Wait until I've really finished it. Read it again and then decide what's rubbish. It's time like this I'm glad of people who will read my work over critically, tell me what's wrong and then, well it's up to me.

Sometimes I already know what they will say, i just need it verified. Other times what the suggest is something I'd never even thought of. I don't always agree, but often or not, that's when not only does the delete button get used but a lot of words are added.

So today, will be brought to you by the sound of typing, cussing and slurping of coffee. Probably so will the next two days as well, with a few damn, delete delete, mutters added in.

Then with a bit of luck, I can crack open my 'whew time to send this off' fizz, sit back and relax. 

And plot the next story.

Happy reading,

Love, Raven xxx