I've changed the title of my blog hoping to catch one or two interested people interested in the topic of aging. How is doing it well and who are giving in. I saw a big particle in the newspaper about the death of a woman, aged 95, who was a champion senior athlete well into her eighties. Good for her. She's an inspiration. I'd like to be inspired to go out running or leaping fences or lifting weights but the thought of getting up and hitting the bricks is not what I really want to do.
I love walking as fast as I can for a kilometre or a little less. I walk on a path over looking over the sea. I've had curtail my walking because of a flare up of something on the top of my left foot. Could be arthritis. It's getting better and I'm getting out and about.
It's Canada Day week-end, also known as the July first week-end. We have a little ceremony here when the old flag is lowered and carefully carried away while the new one is raised up the flag pole. There a several residents here at Somerset House who served in W.W. II in the Royal Canadian Navy, The Royal Canadian Air Force, The Canadian Merchant Fleet and served with various Canadian regiments.
I didn't serve but came close to being tossed into the north Atlantic when a German submarine launched a powerful torpedo at a large ship in the convoy and blew it to pieces. I felt it but didn't see the aftermath. The captain of the Ariguani wouldn't allow us out on deck. We felt the second explosion when the ship designated as the hospital ship came to rescue survivors from the Empire Heritage and was torpedoed.
With the horror stories erupting around the world with militants joyfully killing their enemies, actually kindred spirits of the own religion, a different branch, I'm glad to live in Canada.
We can GROW OLD GRACEFULLY without being shot at or having a bomb chucked over our grey heads.
CELEBRATE the July first week-end. There's a new moon tonight.
Anita
www.anitabirt.com
Friday, June 27, 2014
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
ANITA BIRT - GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY
Want to Grow Old Gracefully? Don't grow old. There's no stopping the march of time. I wake up every morning and I'm still here - where else would I want to be?
Getting old means getting used to the new you, the New You, whose energy level is not what it used to be five years ago. I've been there. Get used to it.
I'm not writing the way I used to. No longer do I sit four or five hours typing like mad with stories blooming on the computer right in front of my eyes. Now I manage a couple of pages a day - unless I've had errands to run and my creative energy has seeped away.
I saw a funny thing this morning hand printed on a lamp post. "I wish I was more creative ."
Being creative isn't a big problem for me. The story I'm writing is coming along nicely. All kinds of weird things are happening to my three main characters. I tend to write too many characters into this story. They arrive and I can't turf them out, they are there for a reason.
I'm reading the latest Lee Child book in the Jack Reacher series, NEVER GO BACK. I had to force myself to close it and go to bed last night. I'm going to pace myself this evening. I had a hard time going to sleep and then I dreamed ...
I was talking to a neighbour while standing on the back porch of a house. The big back yard was untidy. It seemed familiar to me. I think I remember it from my childhood in London, Ontario. An owl flew over head. That's all!
So Grow Old Gracefully. Accept the changes in your energy level. Enjoy using your brain every day. Do puzzles, read, converse with friends. I don't do puzzles. I don't do crossword puzzles. I certainly don't do Sudokos. My brain has limitations. There you have it. Are you puzzle person?
Have your purchased a copy of THE GHOST WRITER MYSTERY? $1.99 - it's an e-published book. Can't beat the price.
Anita
www.anitabirt.com
Getting old means getting used to the new you, the New You, whose energy level is not what it used to be five years ago. I've been there. Get used to it.
I'm not writing the way I used to. No longer do I sit four or five hours typing like mad with stories blooming on the computer right in front of my eyes. Now I manage a couple of pages a day - unless I've had errands to run and my creative energy has seeped away.
I saw a funny thing this morning hand printed on a lamp post. "I wish I was more creative ."
Being creative isn't a big problem for me. The story I'm writing is coming along nicely. All kinds of weird things are happening to my three main characters. I tend to write too many characters into this story. They arrive and I can't turf them out, they are there for a reason.
I'm reading the latest Lee Child book in the Jack Reacher series, NEVER GO BACK. I had to force myself to close it and go to bed last night. I'm going to pace myself this evening. I had a hard time going to sleep and then I dreamed ...
I was talking to a neighbour while standing on the back porch of a house. The big back yard was untidy. It seemed familiar to me. I think I remember it from my childhood in London, Ontario. An owl flew over head. That's all!
So Grow Old Gracefully. Accept the changes in your energy level. Enjoy using your brain every day. Do puzzles, read, converse with friends. I don't do puzzles. I don't do crossword puzzles. I certainly don't do Sudokos. My brain has limitations. There you have it. Are you puzzle person?
Have your purchased a copy of THE GHOST WRITER MYSTERY? $1.99 - it's an e-published book. Can't beat the price.
Anita
www.anitabirt.com
Monday, June 23, 2014
ANITA BIRT - SPEAKING OUT
I am not GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY. I am made as hell. I just wrote a brilliant blog, touched something and lost the damned thing.
Buy my books. Make me smile. Buy my romance novels in trade paperback or as e-books. Buy, THE GHOST WRITER MYSTERY, it's published as an e-book. $1.99. You can't beat the price.
My romance novels. A VERY DIFFICULT MAN, Historical, England 1858.
ISABELLE'S DIARY, contemporary with many a twist and possibly a ghost.
ISABELLE'S STORY, historical. The storY of Isabelle who wrote the diary! 1895-1900 England.
RING AROUND THE MOON - set in magical Cornwall. He comes from two hundred years in the past to the present time and finds a new love.
TOO YOUNG TO DIE - threatened with death by vicious thugs my heroine escapes in the middle of the night with a three month old baby in her arms. She stumbles through a forest until dawn. To tired to go on she awaits her fate when a man with two large dogs finds her. Who is he?
I'm away now. I might make a cup of tea to calm my frazzled nerves. Loosing my brilliant blog!!! Boo Hoo. That hurt.
Anita
www.anitabirt.com (I'm trying to find out how to add news to my web site but the instructions given to me didn't work.)
Buy my books. Make me smile. Buy my romance novels in trade paperback or as e-books. Buy, THE GHOST WRITER MYSTERY, it's published as an e-book. $1.99. You can't beat the price.
My romance novels. A VERY DIFFICULT MAN, Historical, England 1858.
ISABELLE'S DIARY, contemporary with many a twist and possibly a ghost.
ISABELLE'S STORY, historical. The storY of Isabelle who wrote the diary! 1895-1900 England.
RING AROUND THE MOON - set in magical Cornwall. He comes from two hundred years in the past to the present time and finds a new love.
TOO YOUNG TO DIE - threatened with death by vicious thugs my heroine escapes in the middle of the night with a three month old baby in her arms. She stumbles through a forest until dawn. To tired to go on she awaits her fate when a man with two large dogs finds her. Who is he?
I'm away now. I might make a cup of tea to calm my frazzled nerves. Loosing my brilliant blog!!! Boo Hoo. That hurt.
Anita
www.anitabirt.com (I'm trying to find out how to add news to my web site but the instructions given to me didn't work.)
Monday, June 16, 2014
ANITA BIRT - SPEAKING OUT
GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY will take a one minute break while I do some book promotion.
My e-book, THE GHOST WRITER MYSTERY, is available from Smashwords, my publisher and if you are MAC user from ibooks.
The cost is $l.99. Imagine a 85,000 words mystery for $1.99. You can't beat the price and the story is fascinating, one of the protagonists is Ghost who teams up with a writer to solve the criminal activities taking place in a retirement residence.
So make me happy. Buy my book and enjoy a really good read.
I've been out and about all morning and am pooped. Discovered that strange things were happening on my MasterCard. The powers that be had the last four digits of my card wrong! Charges relating to another card turned up on my statements.
GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY means not getting overtired which I have done. So I shall return tomorrow with brilliant comments.
In the meantime keep buying my romance novels. A VERY DIFFICULT MAN is selling well in the UK. Not in the hundreds but doing okay.
Anita
www,anitabirt.com
My e-book, THE GHOST WRITER MYSTERY, is available from Smashwords, my publisher and if you are MAC user from ibooks.
The cost is $l.99. Imagine a 85,000 words mystery for $1.99. You can't beat the price and the story is fascinating, one of the protagonists is Ghost who teams up with a writer to solve the criminal activities taking place in a retirement residence.
So make me happy. Buy my book and enjoy a really good read.
I've been out and about all morning and am pooped. Discovered that strange things were happening on my MasterCard. The powers that be had the last four digits of my card wrong! Charges relating to another card turned up on my statements.
GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY means not getting overtired which I have done. So I shall return tomorrow with brilliant comments.
In the meantime keep buying my romance novels. A VERY DIFFICULT MAN is selling well in the UK. Not in the hundreds but doing okay.
Anita
www,anitabirt.com
Thursday, June 12, 2014
ANITA BIRT - SPEAKING OUT
My theme is Growing Old Gracefully but I shall take a few minutes to talk about Danny. Those of you who watched the funeral of the three Mounties shot down in Moncton, New Brunswick, will remember seeing Danny, the partner of Constable Ross, trying to sniff at the officer's stetson. His handler was dead but Danny, smart as he is, didn't understand.
Danny, the police service dog, will retire eventually. For the time being he is being cared for by the RCMP and kept active, enjoying running through a shallow pond and playing.
Danny will be introduced, slowly, to a new partner. The handler and Danny have to be a good fit while they train together. This has to be done carefully. Danny and Constable Ross were a team for two years. Service dogs live with the constable's family. I'm sure the children will miss Danny. German shepherds are good with the families with whom they live.
I know this. We had a dearly loved German Shepherd, Kim who lived with us for ten years. I won't write about Kim, this blog is about Danny. In due course he will be retired to live with the family of his handler. He will GROW OLD GRACEFULLY. Dearly loved and valued.
Grieve for the loss of three RCMP officers, gunned down by a young man who fancied himself as a commando. He had acquired weapons to kill those in authority over him. God help us all that men like him walk the streets in cities and towns. But, men like him want to kill women because they ignore him or won't ask him for a date. God help us all.
Think about the dead officers and think about Danny. I'd like to follow his story! Whom should I ask?
Anita
www.anitabirt.com
Danny, the police service dog, will retire eventually. For the time being he is being cared for by the RCMP and kept active, enjoying running through a shallow pond and playing.
Danny will be introduced, slowly, to a new partner. The handler and Danny have to be a good fit while they train together. This has to be done carefully. Danny and Constable Ross were a team for two years. Service dogs live with the constable's family. I'm sure the children will miss Danny. German shepherds are good with the families with whom they live.
I know this. We had a dearly loved German Shepherd, Kim who lived with us for ten years. I won't write about Kim, this blog is about Danny. In due course he will be retired to live with the family of his handler. He will GROW OLD GRACEFULLY. Dearly loved and valued.
Grieve for the loss of three RCMP officers, gunned down by a young man who fancied himself as a commando. He had acquired weapons to kill those in authority over him. God help us all that men like him walk the streets in cities and towns. But, men like him want to kill women because they ignore him or won't ask him for a date. God help us all.
Think about the dead officers and think about Danny. I'd like to follow his story! Whom should I ask?
Anita
www.anitabirt.com
Sunday, June 8, 2014
ANITA BIRT - SPEAKING OUT
GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY - OR NOT
I have been there and am still there, growing old, I mean. It's not something from which to escape or from pretending it isn't happening. It's the small changes, unnoticed at the time, that gradually creep up and suddenly something that didn't hurt before is hurting now.
Or with me. Two years ago I could walk a couple of miles and not give it a second thought. Now I do a kilometer about once a week and walk about two thirds of the distance most days. It's called, getting old!
Keeping my brain busy writing about this and that, and reading three newspapers daily plus books plus talking with friends about what's going on in the world, out there. We Canadians are blessed to live in a wonderful country where law and order reigns supreme. Except when a young man turns rogue and kills three RCMP officers who had been lured into his trap by a 911 call.
My son, chatting to a limo driver on his way to the airport reported this conversation. The driver said he had come from Spain. "Do you know what I like best about Canada?" He asked. "What?" My son asked. "I like the health care and honest cops."
Honest cops. When I was a kid we knew a police man would help us if we were lost or frightened. Years ago I was giving a talk in a high school in an unfamiliar neighborhood . I lost my way. Up ahead was a road block with police checking for impaired drivers. I stopped. "I'm lost. I don't know this area." He asked my address and told me how to find my way home. A helpful cop.
I'm supposed to be taking about Growing Old Gracefully. It helps to come from a couple of tough old Scots who ignored illness unless it was severe. My mother died in her one hundredth year. My grandmother, 87, my sister, 91, my Aunt Daisy, 88, and here I am ticking along.
I know many women with various kinds of illnesses who remain cheerful. when they can. But if they want to talk about how they feel, take time to LISTEN. Listening is a gift to someone.
GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY - isn't easy if arthritis is playing hell with your feet or back. Or your joints are stiff. (It's aging!) Or your memory is slipping. I have a friend who can't remember people's names so she calls every one, "Sweetie." She is a dear who smiles and stays active.
www.anitabirt.com
I have been there and am still there, growing old, I mean. It's not something from which to escape or from pretending it isn't happening. It's the small changes, unnoticed at the time, that gradually creep up and suddenly something that didn't hurt before is hurting now.
Or with me. Two years ago I could walk a couple of miles and not give it a second thought. Now I do a kilometer about once a week and walk about two thirds of the distance most days. It's called, getting old!
Keeping my brain busy writing about this and that, and reading three newspapers daily plus books plus talking with friends about what's going on in the world, out there. We Canadians are blessed to live in a wonderful country where law and order reigns supreme. Except when a young man turns rogue and kills three RCMP officers who had been lured into his trap by a 911 call.
My son, chatting to a limo driver on his way to the airport reported this conversation. The driver said he had come from Spain. "Do you know what I like best about Canada?" He asked. "What?" My son asked. "I like the health care and honest cops."
Honest cops. When I was a kid we knew a police man would help us if we were lost or frightened. Years ago I was giving a talk in a high school in an unfamiliar neighborhood . I lost my way. Up ahead was a road block with police checking for impaired drivers. I stopped. "I'm lost. I don't know this area." He asked my address and told me how to find my way home. A helpful cop.
I'm supposed to be taking about Growing Old Gracefully. It helps to come from a couple of tough old Scots who ignored illness unless it was severe. My mother died in her one hundredth year. My grandmother, 87, my sister, 91, my Aunt Daisy, 88, and here I am ticking along.
I know many women with various kinds of illnesses who remain cheerful. when they can. But if they want to talk about how they feel, take time to LISTEN. Listening is a gift to someone.
GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY - isn't easy if arthritis is playing hell with your feet or back. Or your joints are stiff. (It's aging!) Or your memory is slipping. I have a friend who can't remember people's names so she calls every one, "Sweetie." She is a dear who smiles and stays active.
www.anitabirt.com
Saturday, June 7, 2014
ANITA BIRT - SPEAKING OUT
Speaking out! About what? And when? I've had family visiting and my head is not where it should be in terms of siting down and writing. About What? No one gives a hot damn whether I'm alive or dead if comments on my blog mean anything. No comments ever.
I labour on with my blog. I wish I could think of a catchy theme to draw comments, hateful or otherwise. Preferably pleasant. There so much misery in the world we really, really should be kind and thoughtful to friends, would-be friends and people we pass in the street. Do you smile at passersby? It's amazing how many people smile back.Mind you they take one look at me and think a smile will help the dear old soul get through the day. I'll accept any kind of smile so do keep them coming.
I hope you have ordered copies of my latest book, THE GHOST WRITER MYSTERY, from Smashwords (my publisher) or if you're a MAC user, go to ibooks and order it there. I await my first royalty cheque/check ( for American readers)
A check is just a check, like a mark on the paper but a cheque - it's a Canadian thing so don't be alarmed.
GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY - or not, depending on how you feel and what hurts the most your back or your feet or your legs.
We can't escape growing old. It comes like the flowers that bloom in the spring, Or when the leaves fall in the autumn. Or when the first snow covers the ground. "Life happens when we're not paying attention." Did Woody Allen say that?
ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION to they days as they pass by? When you got out of bed this morning what was your first thought? Or your second thought as you looked around and knew you were still alive. And your third thought as you made your way to the bathroom.
I'd enjoy reading them. Please send your comments. Make my day! Make my day even getter by buying my romance novels.
A VERY DIFFICULT MAN. ISABELLE'S DIARY. ISABELLE'S STORY. RING AROUND THE MOON. TOO YOUNG TO DIE. Every one is a page turner. Go to my Blog and read the reviews.
Anita
www.anitabirt.com
I labour on with my blog. I wish I could think of a catchy theme to draw comments, hateful or otherwise. Preferably pleasant. There so much misery in the world we really, really should be kind and thoughtful to friends, would-be friends and people we pass in the street. Do you smile at passersby? It's amazing how many people smile back.Mind you they take one look at me and think a smile will help the dear old soul get through the day. I'll accept any kind of smile so do keep them coming.
I hope you have ordered copies of my latest book, THE GHOST WRITER MYSTERY, from Smashwords (my publisher) or if you're a MAC user, go to ibooks and order it there. I await my first royalty cheque/check ( for American readers)
A check is just a check, like a mark on the paper but a cheque - it's a Canadian thing so don't be alarmed.
GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY - or not, depending on how you feel and what hurts the most your back or your feet or your legs.
We can't escape growing old. It comes like the flowers that bloom in the spring, Or when the leaves fall in the autumn. Or when the first snow covers the ground. "Life happens when we're not paying attention." Did Woody Allen say that?
ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION to they days as they pass by? When you got out of bed this morning what was your first thought? Or your second thought as you looked around and knew you were still alive. And your third thought as you made your way to the bathroom.
I'd enjoy reading them. Please send your comments. Make my day! Make my day even getter by buying my romance novels.
A VERY DIFFICULT MAN. ISABELLE'S DIARY. ISABELLE'S STORY. RING AROUND THE MOON. TOO YOUNG TO DIE. Every one is a page turner. Go to my Blog and read the reviews.
Anita
www.anitabirt.com
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