I Love Being Sticky!

Yay! I made the home page of WritingUp. I came back from a brief holiday to find that my post on Seven Effective Blogging Habits had been glued to the top of the front page for the past few days. I think it’s been there almost a week now. As you can imagine, I was really pleased. I’ve also had a freelance writing article approved by Today’s Woman, so the week is looking good so far.

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On another note, what are you planning for Father’s Day? Did you know that Father’s Day was invented by Sonora Dodd in 1909? She was listening to a Mother’s Day sermon and wanted to honor her father, a Civil War veteran and single father. I found out about this bit of history in a web release from gourmetgiftbaskets.com, who have a range of father’s day gifts for the occasion.

German Weekend

The old fashioned automobile – there’s no other word for it – didn’t seem out of place on the cobblestoned streets of the small German town I was visiting. The distinctive putt-putt sound of the early horseless carriage with its high back wheels and glossy cream body shattered the silence. Where on earth was everybody?

OK, it was Sunday, but even on Friday and Saturday, the town had seemed deserted. Maybe the rain was keeping everyone inside. Not me, though. I didn’t want to waste the chance to wander through a 450 year old town full of houses with the distinctive Fachwerk (wooden strips on the outside).

The streets were steep and narrow, leading down to the marketplace, the fast moving river and the centre, which featured a few small luxury shops selling Chanel cosmetics and very expensive shoes. Even though these were modern, they blended right in. This was no doubt deliberate.

Outside one shop was a ride on toy into which you could put a coin. This was no Bob the Builder or other TV show character. Instead, it was a bright yellow donkey – and it only cost 10 cents, a tenth of what it would have cost back in the UK.

As we wandered through the town, a large ice cream caught our eye. Germany is justly famed for its Eiskafees (ice cream parlours) and the ice cream treats were indeed wondrous – cherry, strawberry, mango, tiramisu – real Italian ice cream with not a preservative in sight. The flavours exploded into my mouth. I’d definitely be back for more.

The half hour walk round the town culminated in a trip to the summit for a picturesque view. Back on the ground, we checked out the children’s play area. Swings, wide slides and an intricate system of buckets and chains for endless loading and emptying of sand and stones. My daughter loved it – and the dirt soon became the contents of her ice cream shop. Hmm; I wonder where she got that idea.

This is a draft of a travel article I’m working on – it’s incomplete, of course. Next: The hotel

What do you do when someone else is driving your car? Do you even let them do it? When my relatives come to visit, I’ve always wished there were an easy way to cover them to drive my car but it’s been a cumbersome and expensive process, so usually we don’t bother and I do all the driving. Now Norwich Union Insurance has launched the perfect product for this situation: short term car insurance. For 10 pounds or less a day (a good car insurance rate) your friends and family can drive your car and you can relax, knowing you’ll be covered if there’s any damage. This information is in a web release from CarInsurance.com, which provides quick car insurance coverage across the US.

Something To Keep You Going

I’m away for a couple of days at a wedding, but I’ve posted a couple of things on my other blogs that you might be interested in reading.

On WriteNiche there’s Another Way To Get Paid To Blog and Write About Barbados And The Caribbean.

On Bloggerparty, there’s Remembering Jamaica and Is It Time To Bash The Patch?

Finally, on WritingUp, there’s Do I Blog Too Much? and Seven Effective Blogging Habits.

Happy reading – and I’ll talk to you on Monday.

Sharon

Fruitful Writing

I’ve finally started writing at Lifetips – on fruit, of all things. Fruit has been on my mind since my recent cleanse and switch to even healthier eating habits. I’ve lost 12 pounds as a result and have decided to keep doing this every couple of months until I’m down to my target weight. More fruit tips to come soon – and with what I’m learning I’ll soon be able to write a couple of free articles on the subject.

Collecting My Memories

Like many people, I’d like to write my life story (or a version of it) one day. I haven’t yet decided whether this will be factual or fictional, or whether to just dole it out in bits over several pieces of writing. But in the past year I’ve been experimenting with writing various chapters of my life – and now I’ve collected them for easy reference on my new Memoirs page. See if there’s anything you missed.

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In a recent web release, New Castle Realty highlights a recent survey showing that homes in the US have a median age of 33. This means exterior makeovers for older homes to increase their curb appeal. It also seems that global rather than local factors are now driving the real estate economy. New Castle Realty are experts in Naperville Real Estate, whether buyers are looking for town homes, condos or houses.

Floral Treats To Eat

If you want to try something ambitious
Add petals to make meals delicious
Take some advice
On making meals nice
And serve up a dish that’s nutritious.

I know cos’ I have to the assurance
Of a certain blog writer, Sue Lawrence.
A web release states
That flowers are great
For cooking: I don’t need insurance

So when next you’re starting to forage
Try marigolds, roses or borage.
Enhance your provender
With nasturtiums, lavender
And maybe a small dose of courage.

When it’s time for the next Mother’s Day
Do not buy a bouquet or nosegay
But sit back and savour
That delicate flavour.
Don’t send flowers; eat them, I say!.

Soulmate Saga – Part 8: Wedding Plans

Planning a wedding can be one of life’s most stressful experiences, even if everything you need is right at hand. What would it be like planning a wedding that would take place more than 4,000 miles away with no onsite help from parents and relatives?

Actually, it was suprisingly painless. Most people have arguments with their relatives about every aspect of wedding planning, from table decorations to seating plans. We did it all by email – with the help of my mother, my sister and two of my best friends – and avoided the arguments. If anything upset anyone, we had plenty of cooling off time before proposing a solution.

Proof In The Pudding?

Here’s an email I received yesterday:

Hi Sharon. Have you googled yourself lately? I just googled you, and you are on each of the 15 pages that come up for your name. The first four are all you, and then you are featured to varying degrees on the others. All of which is to say: Well done!!!! I am so proud of you! You are the S**T.

This means that my promotional activities are beginning to work. I had a suspicion they were, because I’ve had several emails from people enquiring about possible jobs, and even, in one case, asking for work. (I had to let him down gently.)

I’m really pleased, because I’ve done it all for free. If you want to know how to do it too, check out my articles on writer promotion.

I’ve Made A Few Changes

I’ve made a few changes that I hope will make this blog better for you. First of all, I’ve put a link to the blog’s home page at the top. It disappeared when I gave the site a facelift and now I’ve put it back, so you can get to the front page from anywhere. I’ve added a link to the main doublehdesign.com site for the same reason.

Second, taking my own advice about social bookmarking,

Seeing My Name In Print

When I worked in magazines, I used to get really excited whenever a new edition of the magazine or newspaper came out. I couldn’t wait to see how my article looked and see my name next to it. It was a feeling of total elation; a high better than any drug, in my opinion. Now that most of my work is online, I still get the same rush – and today is one of those days.

A couple days ago I was trawling through my writing file when I came across a parenting article I wrote last November when planning my daughter’s third birthday party. The party planning article was called ‘Don’t Try This At Home‘. Suddenly, it occurred to me that it would be right for my friend Jen’s domestika blog. I sent it off to her and she agreed. It’s been posted on her blog today – and I’m still feeling the rush! Writing is fun, isn’t it?