Perth Words… exploring possibilities.

Hi, I am delighted to let all my friends and followers know that I have been shortlisted for the Blog Awards Ireland 2015, in the category of Best Travel Blog.

This is a great achievement and I would be really happy if you could all vote for me, I have seen the other wonderful blogs in this category, and believe you me, I need all the help I can get.

The public vote is open until 21st September, and comprises 30 percent of the vote, the rest is up to the judges, so as the politicians say –

‘Vote Early and Vote Often’

Seriously though, I would be very happy to get your vote, here is the link, just click on my blog (Retirement and Beyond) to vote.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6CH93LD

Thanks to everyone that follows, likes and comments on my posts, I really enjoy being part of the blogging community. Now…

Kruger National Park is home to the majority of the Earth’s remaining rhino populations. So what else do we know about the rhinos’ home?

*Kruger National Park is the largest game reserve in Africa. It spans across 19,633 square kilometres, basically the same size of Israel or New Jersey.

*There are 9 gates accessing the park, adding to the difficulty to monitor and patrol human activity in the park.

*It is also home to 336 tree, 49 fish, 34 amphibian, 114 reptile, 507 bird and 147 mammal species.

*In 1869 (before the park was officially even founded), a gold rush exploded in the region, which resulted in the side effect of a significant decrease in game due to hunting and trading of animal horns and skins.

(L) Founder,Paul Kruger (R) James Stevenson Hamilton, the first game warden

*The park  itself didn’t come into existence until 1898, when it was founded  by Paul Kruger.

*The…

The new issue of of Review of Australian Fiction has just been published, no. 5 in the special volume showcasing WA writers, edited by Laurie Steed. I’ve just read my subscription copy—with a great deal of pleasure, too, as Natasha and Yvette are members of a much-valued writing group I belong to.

Natasha Lester, with two published novels (What Is Left Over, After, winner of the T.A.G. Hungerford Award; and If I Should Lose You) is the established writer of this pairing. Natasha’s third novel, A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald, is due out in April 2016. Paired with Natasha is Yvette Walker, whose stunning debut novel Letters to the End of Love won the 2014 WA Premier’s Book Award in the WA Emerging Writer category and was shortlisted for a 2014 NSW Premier’s Award (Glenda Adam’s Award for New Writing).

Natasha’s story, ‘The Maelstrom’, re-creates…

I’m thrilled to have been Shortlisted for Best Post in the Irish Blog Awards 2015.

The post, Reflections on the Accident and Emergency (ER) Crisis, is one which is very close to my heart especially after my personal experiences with my late parents and my long career as a Sociologist in health policy research.

My hope in writing the post was that it would contribute to enhancing a part of the health care system which plays such a key role in the lives of so many people ~ patients, their families, and, of course, the thousands of health care workers who dedicate their lives to this front line service.

I would be truly honoured if you would Vote for the post.  Just Click below and you’ll find Social Bridge in the middle of the list:

Just a reminder that Public Voting for the Irish Blog Awards begins today.

I’m just thrilled to be shortlisted, of course.

It’s very exciting.

The vote will be open until September 21st.

You can vote here if you’re interested.

Many thanks.

#bloggies2015

As writers, we each face our own struggles.  I tend to think a lot of my issues could be alleviated if I had more time in the day. Seeing as how I don’t have access to a magical hourglass, I had to consider other options.  The one that screamed for my attention was time management.  My situation is not unique.  Like many of you, I work full time.  That leaves a few short hours a day to take care of my home/family, exercise, write and grow my audience.

Building my author platform

It’s hard.

Who knew there would be so much effort required?  I thought writing the novel was supposed to be the most difficult part. Imagine my surprise when I realized I needed a twitter account, a Facebook author page, a blog, etc.

It’s time consuming.

Each plank in the platform comes from the connections we make.  Those…

“Portrait Study – Old Man”
By monkeezgob
From deviantart.com

fingerless gloves
work the keyboard
vain attempt to
arrest the escape
of young warmth

living old is a
damned cold affair
joints as stiff as the
bones they connect
with mute cracks of
articulate grievance
a mind grown more
vacant from losing
more truth than its
patience can find

living old is a
damned small affair
all the hardy
experience sun
and moon intrigues
of global adventures
now shrunk to the size
of an overstuffed chair
heat of passions
degraded to embers

fingerless gloves
work the keyboard
unbusily living by
touch-punching
poetry such as it is

waiting for the cool skirt of night
to sweep away the Indian summer
I am brown and over-ripe
and seek the relief of harvest