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Time For a Walk!

Going for a walk means different things, to different people, and creatures. For me, a walk is a method for holding onto what I have already, and building my strength and make sure I don’t lose it.

For our dog, Lenny – a Greyhound – going for a walk is a chance to mark territory, investigate what is happening, and who has been where. It’s also a chance for him to connect with humans, and catch some kind words, and pats!

For my support worker, a walk is a pleasant way to spend some time with me, her client, and to get in some exercise as well, as we all go. Today’s walk was a chance to attempt to get my digital distraction – Pokemon Go, finally up and going again for the day. I managed to do that, then we headed back to my place, and my support worker headed off for her next thing to do, pleased to have helped me get out and about in my broader community!

And chatting with her about the new lambs at her place was lovely, as I could learn a little bit more about her ‘livestock’ part of her life, as I was able to show I knew a little bit of what she was talking about.

Sheep aren’t just sheep, they can come in a variety of different breeds, each with their own special aspects that make them that, and not the other. She has Dorper sheep, which I knew already was not the kind of sheep one has to have then shorn to use the wool. Dorpers are a breed of sheep bred instead for their meat.

But my support worker’s family are in fact using these sheep as organic lawnmowers, let loose in their place to help to keep down the grass and weeds growing. I was glad to hear these sheep to an excellent job of it! It’s always good to hear stories of things working well, isn’t it? I certainly think so!

And the other good thing about walking, and talking to someone else, are the little snippets of information a writer can pick up, just by chatting about a wide variety of things! When you’re a poet and writer, writing prompts are so valuable! I could write a children’s poem about a child living in the country, with a lamb as their best friend, using the information I gained today!

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When I Write Something Good …

Some thoughts about this subject.

Today I wrote what I felt to be a fine post on Twitter. I rested a wee while, basking in my cleverness, then spotted the spelling error …

Oh, the embarrassment of it, humiliation even! Then I realise the truth of it. I have practically no followers on Twitter, compared to other people, anyway. And of course, the magnitude of my error was miniscule, really.

It may well not even be noticed by most people anyway, and if it was noticed, it would probably be ignored as a typo, and it won’t even matter. But I’m a writer, and words are my tools, my weapons even, sometimes. If I don’t do the right thing by my own words, my words may begin to fail me!

Oh, the horror of that. May my words always be there for me, whenever I call on them for my written work! I’m getting over my negative feelings about that missing letter in a word now, and whild I’m itching to check it out, I haven’t even gone back to my Twitter account to see if my error has been noticed by anyone.

I doubt it will have been, because, well, as I mentioned above, I have practically no followers on Twitter. I’m not sue how many would be considered a repectable number, but I’m sure whatever my number of followers is, it’s compartively few.

I’m over that all now, and won’t mention it again, unless it becomes relevant …

What I want to talk about now, is clouds, and in particular my love of clouds when seen on a mild day in Autumn, when the sky is a glorious blue background for interesting fluffy looking clouds, some of which appear to be ‘other things’.

This subject is one I’ve thought about a fair bit, because of the time I lost my ability to see things in clouds. Every cloud in the sky was merely that, a cloud in the sky. There were no dragons, or puppies chasing balls, as I sometimes see (often see actually, with the dragons).

That was a time when I was quite sad, my creativity was at a rock bottom, and my life seemed to have disappeared into on of looking after the baby, and nothing else, and I felt at the time my ‘baby lookiing after’ skills were rock bottom too, and I was the worst mother in the world …

That baby, my only human babe, lived, and is now a healthy thirsty year old, so I suspect I was an at least competent mother, otherwise the baby wouldn’t have got to where they are now. I’d bred dogs, so I certainly knew how to raise them, but having your own flesh and blood baby was something quite different.

Anyway, back to those clouds … Losing creative abilities, for those of us who pride ourselves for our creative abilities, wheter they be with words, or any other kind of art or craft, well losing those abilities is like have a limb cut off, in some ways. Not as completely terrible though, of course.

I was so glad when I cfound my poetic creativity again, through writing poetry again. Once I began with poetry again, those clouds began showing me dragons again, and then more poetry bcought more dragons, and many other amazing creatures up there in the sky! I thank every cloud for sharing their hidden creatures they have, ready to show it to all who would look up to the sky, to the clouds, to see them!

Writing something good is like finding those hidden marvels up in the clouds, in the awesome blue sky, in my creative world! Being able to connect with the lovely things, to see their amazingness, ro reckognise the value of them, incredible!

And so, writing, sharing your words in ways that make the reader see the truth of what you are showing them with your words, what an incredible and amazing thing that can be too! I am so glad to have that ability, and to find others who appreciate what I do with ny words!

Clouds, and words, beautiful!

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On Being A Freelance Writer

What does in mean to be a Freelance Writer? Funny you should ask, I’ve written a little about that, at this link here, and will write further about it below.

The image above shows information about one of my regular writing related things I do to put my name forward as a Poet in a particular place and town. I am become known as a writer in Gawler, and a well respected one, at that.

While the event above isn’t a paid one as such, it has lead to book sales for me, and every book sold has the potential to laed to possible further book sales, if my book is further shared with other people.

Sometimes it’s worth selling books at lower prices, and expecially if you are a self-published writer, and have already sold enough books to have paid the cost of have extra books published. That means every book sold after, is pure profit, sweet!

Finding other ways to become known to people around where you live can be useful as well, especially when you get the chance to let relevant people know you also are a writer. And always do your best to make sure people know about that!

You write, you therefore are a writer. And when you write for yourself, rather than for an editor of a publication (for a wage), then you are a freelance writer. You are able to pick and choose what you write, and who you write it for.

There are benefits from both, freelance, and waged, and obviously they vary depending on who you are, what you prefer to do with your time, and and what your financial situation is. Personally, freelance writing suits me perfectly.

I am of retirement age, have a disability that limits my ability to hold down a fulltime job, but not my ability to write pretty well when I want to. I have hsuband who is my carer, as well as two support workers who I see once a week each, help me do many things, as needed.

This is an ideal life for me, allowing me to do the various bits of word-related things that earn me money, and raise my writer profile further. Some of these things are writing articles on Medium, co-cordinating the monthly Poetry Reading Gawler Poets at the Pub,https://www.facebook.com/groups/18474048872, and being President of the group that runs that eveny, as well as weekly writing group meetings, and an annual Festival of Words.

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Having A Go Means You’ve Already Won!

Trying new things, testing the waters, these things can seem frightening things, when you’d rather stick with the things you already know work for you.

I’m a writer, fiction, non fiction, poetry and prose. I perform my poetry regularly at the Gawler Poets at the Pub event that happens on the last Sunday of the month, every month. I know I can do that, and that it will be well accepted by those present at the event.

But is that what I want, to continue doing the same thing, doing well, sure, but is there more I can do? Can I try other things, step up and have a go at trying something I’ve haven’t done before?

And if I do that, how will I judge whther

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Nanna Carreau’s News

OK, I realise you may not know who Nanna Carreau is, nor care a fig about what her news may be, but I hope by the end of this blog post, you’ll be far more interested. And if you’re not, perhaps it’s time you had a bit of a sit down and think about yourself, you ageist person, you!

I don’t want to be rude, but you should be excited for Nanna Carreau, at her advanced age, out there trying to break into Stand Up Comedy! And doing while living in a dinky little town nobody will have ever heard of, and at her advanced age!

Nanna Carreau and her exciting new act have been described as, ‘not hilarious, but definitely very funny’, and ‘cute’. Her act will appeal to all who have ever had that forgetful, word on the tip of your tongue thing, when you know what the word is, but just can’t say it, or when there’s something you just thought, a relevant thought, a brilliant one even, but you just quite catch it and get it back …

Nanna Carreau’s show has laughs in it for sure, but it also has the truth too, about how life can be for older people, when they’re getting ever closer to their final years.

Nanna Carreau keeps on keeping on, but she is all too aware those lumps, bumps, as well as aches and pains are steadily getting worse, and soon, you know, maybe kicking the bucket could finally be a welcome relief, but not just yet, Nanna Carreau has some acts booked this month and the next, and she’s loving it!

Nanna Carreau, working hard on getting her act ‘just right’ for her Stand Up Comedian show! Thanks for the photoVanessa!