Master Wendy. What a great name! Congratulations from me, too.

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Founding member of The Blood-Red Pencil
http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com

Wonderful news, Wendy! I'm sure we're all mighty proud of you.

I'm all for a party. Mr. Penguin has been hankerin' for a shindig for quite a while and it sounds like we've got lots to celebrate.

Wendy is now Master Wendy, and I got a "permanent" job in the district, full time, with benefits. It's possible I may even be able to make ends meet. Or at least, if they can't meet, they can see each other well enough to blow kisses.

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Karen
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http://anovelplace.wordpress.com/

http://lifeinthedykelane.blogspot.com

Congratulations, Wendy. I am really pleased for you. That is quite an achievement!

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Selma in The City

Baaaaaa-aaaaa. Baaaa-aaaaaa.

OK...well let's get things going. I'm getting tired of following this goat around the bar!

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"In the beginning was the Word..."

http://groovybell.blogspot.com/

and

http://groovytrekkers.blogspot.com/

Now I Squidoo!!!
http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/groovyoldlady

Still can't get the Smilies going. For some reason, when I go there to choose a site, the W/W closes down. Big sigh.

(Thanks Ele and Wattle)

Imagine a twirly mirror ball, streamers hanging from the ceiling and draped across the long mirror behind the bar. A skinny Christmas tree, with an alarming lean to the left, is squatting in the corner near the jukebox. A rather tired angel is perched on the top, threatening to tumble off at any moment. Silver tinsel is scattered across the tree's branches and here and there red balls dangle and silver bells tinkle.

The penguin is putting coins in the juke box and selecting old favourites: Rock Around the Christmas Tree, Jingle Bell Rock, All I Want for Christmas is You, and for some strange reason that only the penguin understands, Moon River.

There's a big bowl of fruit punch on the bar (safe for you to drink, Groovy).
I've brought shortbread and fairy cakes. (You do know what fairy cakes are, don't you?)

I'm sitting on a stool, leaning against the bar, waiting for company.

Who's tending bar? I'll have a scotch and water, please.

Hi Wendy! I don't know what a fairy cake is, but it sounds like something I'd like. :-)

Nancy

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Please spay/neuter your companion animals. And when it's time to add to your four-legged family, save a life by adopting a stray or from a shelter or rescue group.

Fairy cakes are easy to make.
Bake (or buy) plain ordinary cupcakes. Cut a circle out of the top of each one. Put a teaspoon of jam (jelly) in the resulting hole in the top of the cake. (Strawberry or raspberry jam/jelly is best, but apricot is nice, too.) Then put a good teaspoon of thickened whipped cream on top of the jam/jelly. Cut the little circle of cake into halves. Place the halves separately in the cream, large side down, so that they look like wings (sort of).
If you want to get fancy, you can sprinkle icing sugar over the top, but it's not necessary.
Works well with any flavour of cupcake, although traditionally it's vanilla.

What you in the USA call jelly, here in Oz we call it jam. What you call jello, we call jelly.
BUT if the jam is a clear conserve type then we call it jelly, too: eg quince jelly, my favourite. Tricky, aren't we?!

Ooooohhhh...I knew I'd like them! Thanks, Wendy.

Actually, we have both jelly (clear) and jam (with bits of fruit) here. And then there are preserves (with lots of fruit).

We even have a song..."It Must Be Jam 'Cause Jelly Don't Shake Like That!" :-)

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Please spay/neuter your companion animals. And when it's time to add to your four-legged family, save a life by adopting a stray or from a shelter or rescue group.

Master Wendy!!!! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!

I prefer your descriptions to the smilies anyway :-) ("A skinny Christmas tree, with an alarming lean to the left, is squatting in the corner near the jukebox." - snort!)

Karen, I'm so glad your ends are blowing kisses - that's great. May they embrace passionately very soon.

Dave - snort! I fear tilting at windmills will now become a euphemism for using Word.

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Elle
Word 4 Writers has been relaunched!

Hi everyone. Thought I'd stop by in an effort to dodge my (hope to god) final edits of this novel.
How's everyone?

We are having a slow start to our Christmas. My sister-in-law has decided to hold her wedding on Christmas day. This now means we must go to my husband's home village (think mud huts, HOT, dusty, water that either stinks or is not there) for at least three days to kill cows and make salads and put up tents, and transport unending amounts of chairs and and and and and...... Not that pleased, if you didn't notice. Here there are always two weddings- one at the bride's , one at the groom's. The groom is from a village the other side of the Okavango Delta near Angola and that one is on New Year's Day. I mean really. Both holidays caught up with weddings. I might be a party pooper on this BUT I said no. The bride's - YES. I will try my best to be good. But then I am home. I need to be with my dogs for NYE, they don't like fireworks.

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"I am building a stairway to the stars. I have the authority to take the whole of mankind up there with me.
That is why I write." - Bessie Head


http://thoughtsfrombotswana.blogspot.com/

Oh...my...goodness...

Poor Lolok.
Wanna come to my house? You can bring your dogs.

Yes Wendy I want to come to your house. One of these days you'll get a knock on your door and there I will be.

Botswana Music Camp was this last weekend. Please go and see my daughter singing (http://thoughtsfrombotswana.blogspot.co ... -2009.html). I was so impressed. I've heard her sing around the house but- YAOZA!
Her father asked her if she was going to get a manager now and she poo-pooed him like he was crazy.

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"I am building a stairway to the stars. I have the authority to take the whole of mankind up there with me.
That is why I write." - Bessie Head


http://thoughtsfrombotswana.blogspot.com/

So, 2010 will be the year I update Word 4 Writers, and I need beta testers. You'll get all the old material, plus the updated stuff as I do it, for free - i.e., in exchange for your opinion and input on what makes sense, what doesn't, what's missing, too basic, too complicated, etc. I'm also possibly going to test "classroom" software to see if it works better as a course or an e-book.

I don't expect testers to "study" this or attempt every instruction - more just reading through it for coherency and logic with as much (or little) involvement as you're comfortable with. And I'm still baby-wrangling so my pace will probably be super-slow and easy to fit around busy schedules.

Really, I'm just wanting some friends to help keep me on track and with whom to talk over the various options. I've been trying to get this done for years now and keep dumping it in a fit of bleh.

If you're interested send me an email: daoine the writer [one word] AT yahoo DOT com

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Elle
Word 4 Writers has been relaunched!

Happy New Year Everybody!!!
So how's your 2010 going? Mine is alright, a bit slow on the cash flow but beyond that OK. Sad my pool filter broke though. Cross fingers, hubby is going to town in search of Super Glue- let's hope it lives up to its name. It is mid 30sC and threatening to get hotter.

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"I am building a stairway to the stars. I have the authority to take the whole of mankind up there with me.
That is why I write." - Bessie Head


http://thoughtsfrombotswana.blogspot.com/

Got a great new alcoholic beverage for Christmas - St. Germain Elderflower liqueur. Very lovely in a gin & tonic. Nothing much new here so far this year. I need to get my butt in gear yesterday! I am definitely not jumping with motivation.

Elle, I hope I'm on your list still! Can hardly wait. Did you see the great Blood-Red Pencil blogs about creating your own bookplates? http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com

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Founding member of The Blood-Red Pencil
http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com