Where are the Words For Wednesday

Huge thanks to   Hilary Melton-Butcher for providing last month's prompts.

April 2021:  Wisewebwoman will be providing the prompts on her blog this month.

May 2021:  Messymimi is providing the prompts on her blog.

June 2021:  River is providing the prompts on her blog.

July 2021:  lissa is providing the prompts on her blog.

August 2021:  David M. Gascoigne will be providing the prompts but they will be here.

September 2021:  Cindi is providing the prompts.

October 2021:  I am providing the prompts here.   

November 2021:  Margaret Adamson and her friends will be providing the prompts, but they will appear here.

 
December 2021:  Me again.

Given that the prompts are provided from both the Northern and the Southern hemispheres the prompts can appear from as early as Tuesday your time until Thursday your time. 

This meme definitely falls into the 'more the merrier' category.  I hope that lots of you will visit whoever is providing the prompts and play - or applaud.  Commenting on other people's creations -whether they post them on the host's blog or their own, is hugely important.  We ALL need encouragement.  So please, take a few extra minutes to comment on the participant's creations.

Sunday Selections #527

 

 

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.

 

Huge thanks to Cie who gave me this wonderful Sunday Selections image.

 

The meme was then continued by River at Drifting through life.  Sadly she has now stepped aside (though she will join us some weeks), and I have accepted the mantle. 

 

The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to me. Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.

  

I usually run with a theme. This week (and next) I am going to be posting pictures from our Balloon Spectacular which overlaps the Enlighten festival.  I am a confirmed balloon 'tragic' (Australian slang for someone with an obsession).  The Balloon Spectacular was the last big event which went ahead before Covid restrictions hit us last year.  It went ahead this year too - with some restrictions.

Most years as well as the lucky people who are taking to the air there are crowds of excited spectators to watch the balloons inflate and take off.  This year numbers were restricted and places had to be reserved.  I succeeded in getting tickets but the only day I succeeded the weather forecast was not good.  With that in mind we headed out early (way too early for the smaller portion) a few days before our ticketed event to a vantage point by the lake where we could see the balloons fly even if we couldn't watch them inflate.  We got lucky.  On both days.

So I am going to present images from both days.  Starting (out of chronological order) with the day we watched the balloons inflate.  Co-incidentally it was the youngest of my brothers birthday.  He is also a balloon tragic and I was very happy to be able to get tickets for him and his wife as well as for us.  We no longer exchange presents (except for significant events) but this was a gift I was very glad to be able to give him (and him to receive).

Settle back with a beverage of choice.  LOTS of photos follow.

Many of the balloons are BIG.

The building in the background is our National Library.

The excitement (and not just mine) was palpable.

Each year there is at least one feature balloon.  This year it was Allycorn, brought to us from the US.  Given that our borders are largely closed and that a fourteen day quarantine is compulsory for all international arrivals I am very appreciative of the time and effort involved.

 Next week?  Balloons in the air.  Lots and lots of them.

For those of you who celebrate I hope your Easter is happy, healthy and blessed.

An Unexpected Blogging Benefit

 When I discovered the blogosphere it felt like I had come home.  I find education and entertainment here.  I have been privileged with invitations into people's homes and lives.  I have made wonderful friends here too, some of whom I have met, and many of whom I would love to meet.  Another very real benefit (to me) is that my introverted self can interact in ways which suit me, and can step away without offending people when I become overwhelmed.

A few weeks ago another blogging benefit presented itself.  I received an email from a representative of BenQ, a technology and solutions company based in Taiwan.  Their representative had read my blog (particularly focusing on the Words For Wednesday posts), noting my 'passion for encouraging readers to write'.

BenQ believes that reading is an important source of joy, reflection and lifelong learning (and who could argue with that).  Their representative went on to say that BenQ believes that lighting was a particularly important component to safe and pleasurable reading.  With that in mind they offered me a free e-Reading desk lamp to review, saying that it is particularly suitable for mature adults.

I accepted, and remarkably quickly a parcel was delivered.

 It was beautifully packed (and yes Jazz had to investigate too).

Putting the lamp together was a breeze.  I don't think I have ever come across a kit which came together so easily and well.  The instructions were clear and had only three easily followed steps.

Next step, plugging it in.

The lamp is designed to suit either screen reading

or reading books.

Not only was it easy to put together, it is easy to use.  Tapping the silver ring turns it on and off.  If you wish to change from reading books (orange indicator) to screen reading (green indicator) touch the metal ring for two seconds.  Brightness can be adjusted to suit by rotating the knob.  There is absolutely no flicker and the light is soothing to read by.

The swing arm is very flexible.  The pedestal base is strong and stable - and a table clamp is available if that suits you better.

I was completely unaware of this product before I received the email and I am very, very impressed. 

As a further testimonial, each time himself goes past it he says 'that is such a stylish lamp' and adds 'and it works really well too'.  I can see that I am going to have to buy him one to call his own...

 ***

BenQ Website: 

https://reurl.cc/8y3E27

Amazon Link: 

https://www.amazon.com/BenQ-Reading-LED-Desk-Lamp/dp/B0178HLTXO/

BenQ Twitter:

https://twitter.com/UsBenq

Words for Wednesday 31/3/2021

 

 

This meme was started by Delores a long time ago.  Computer issues led her to bow out for a while.  The meme was too much fun to let go, and now Words for Wednesday is provided by a number of people and has become a movable feast. 

Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write.  Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or an image.   What we do with those prompts is up to us:  a short story, prose, a song, a poem, or treating them with ignore...  We can use some or all of the prompts, and mixing and matching is encouraged.

Some of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on their own blog.  I would really like it if as many people as possible joined into this fun meme, which includes cheering on the other participants.  If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.

The prompts will be here again this month but are provided by Hilary Melton-Butcher.

This week's prompts are:

1.    Watchful

2.  Laggard

3.  Pudding

4.  Mulberry

5.  Bark

AND / OR

1.    Promenade

2.  Vineyard

3.  Allotment

4.  Wisdom

5.  Tenth

 

 Hilary is incredibly generous and also provided us with an extra set. 

1.     Life

2.    Borrow

3.    Wily

4.    Ochre

5.    Brook

Have fun.  And huge thanks to those who come back (sometimes time and time again) to offer encouragement to others. 

I am very, very grateful to Hilary for providing the prompts this month.  They have taken us on some truly delightful journeys.

Next month Wisewebwoman will be providing the prompts on her blog.  I hope to see you there.

Sunday Selections # 526

 

 

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.

 

Huge thanks to Cie who gave me this wonderful Sunday Selections image.

 

The meme was then continued by River at Drifting through life.  Sadly she has now stepped aside (though she will join us some weeks), and I have accepted the mantle. 

 

The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to me. Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.

  

I usually run with a theme.  I am finishing my Enlighten posts for the year this week, with a jaunt into the city to marvel at the Illuminating Mini Beasts.

The Mini Beasts were in our city centre - and in my eyes at least improved the ambiance dramatically.  Some of them were huge (up to 4  metres tall).  There were four of them and I happily wandered through the centre (not something I can usually say) to track them all down.

Starting with the delightful dawn as I headed off to do my shift on the crisis line and to ogle the mini beasts.

 

The first I found was the Swallowtail Butterfly, especially common in Queensland.

Then to the Jumping Spider.  They are  mostly small spiders, with large eyes, brilliant colours and remarkably jumping ability. Our peacock spiders fall into this category.

 

The Mini Beast was impressive too.

The next beast I found was the Cicada.  As an aside it is a long time since I have heard them.  They used to be a song of summer, a song which seems to be fading away...

 

The final Mini Beast was a Neon Cuckoo Bee - something I have never seen for myself.  They are apparently common in Sydney and rely on other bees to raise their young by laying their eggs in other species nests.

Fun, aren't they?  Next week (and possibly the week after as well) photos from our annual Balloon Spectacular.