helygen's journey through life

Sunday 4 January

2015-01-04T20:51:57Z

Tim and I made the most of a spectacularly beautiful day by going for two short walks, our first of 2015.
We started with a little circuit of the harbour, then drove along the promenade to the car park opposite The Grange and walked along the prom from the Suncentre to the Lifeboat Station and back.

A larger version of each photo can be viewed by clicking on it.

View west from Pont y Ddraig - snowcapped Carneddau in the distance

Looking out to sea

View east

View from the lookout platform on Horton's Nose

Harbour Cafe, with Carneddau in the distance

View east from Pont y Ddraig

View west from the bridge

Views west from prom near Lifeboat Station

This afternoon, I met up with seven of my oldest friends for Afternoon Tea at the Afonwen Craft Centre.

Rhian, Nerys, Moira, me

Diane, Anne, Rhian, Nerys

Jean, Tracey

We had one of these double-plated stands each!

This caught my eye: so true!

Too British for my own good? | Johanna Nield

2014-04-19T14:39:56Z

I’ve reached a rather devastating conclusion this evening: I’m far too British for my own good.

I’m modest. I can’t confidently identify any brass instrument, so how can I possibly blow my own trumpet?

Followers will know that my Twitter and Facebook updates are quiet and unassuming, especially compared to those of other writers.
I’d like to be more in-your-face, but quite honestly that’s not me.

I squirm with uncomfortable admiration when reading some authors’ self-publicity on the social networks: I’d rather sit in a bath full of slugs than launch a daily (let alone hourly) self-promotion campaign. I did it once, for five days, and although the event was successful in attracting new readers, I found the experience very stressful. Pushy sales tactics have me looking for the door, and being pushy is something that feels very unnatural to me. I’m aware that the authors who engage in regular self-publicity are the ones who are getting noticed, gaining followers and selling books, but that does not make the slug-bath any less attractive.

Read more on my writing blog: Too British for my own good? | Johanna Nield

Free e-book!

2014-02-16T16:14:58Z

Free Book Promotion!

'New Beginnings' (ebook) is FREE to download from Amazon until 18 February.

If you read it, please remember to leave feedback (star or review) on Amazon or Goodreads ... or here!
Thank you

For more information, please check out:

website

blog

Facebook

Twitter

Amazon Author page

about.me

DTSO - January sign-up post

2014-01-21T22:15:34Z

Originally posted by helygen at January sign-up post

January's here already, and while David will soon be ending his gloriously successful run as Richard II, he'll be going straight into filming for Gracepoint, with the promise of delicious new pics to drool over/discuss/share.

2014 promises to be another busy year for David, which means there will be plenty to keep our wonderful community going.

Even without anything new, though, we've always got something to talk about and loads of lovely pics to share, because we love David, no matter what he's doing ... right?

If you'd like to host your own Sexy-Off in January, simply stake your claim by replying to this post. Slots available are:

Week including Friday 24 January
Week including Friday 31 January

As you know, the Sexy Off traditionally starts on a Friday, but if another day works for you then that's fine too. You can choose to host your Sexy-Off on any day within your chosen week (hosting for the whole week is fine, too, but not essential) - just let me know what day you'd like to start.

For more info on what's involved, please read the updated guidance and FAQ here

If you need to know something that's not covered in that post, please ask here or DM me.

P.S. Anyone can join in at DTSO, with or without posting pictures.

photos courtesy of mostly10(Tumblr), BBC, RSC, Absolute Radio

Originally posted on DTSO. Please feel free to pass it on :)

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Project

2013-12-01T22:16:36Z

Seen on Vimeo, via Twitter, this is another beautiful animated tribute that I just have to share:

from Chang Dai

The past is another country.

"It all started out as a mild curiosity in the junkyard, and now it's turned out to be quite a great spirit of adventure."

Source: Vimeo

Doctor Who timeline

2013-11-23T17:19:58Z

This is so fantastic, I just had to share it here!
I'm only hiding it behind a cut because it's massive

Via: CableTV.com, which also includes a full list of all episode titles

Beautiful 50th anniversary Doctor Who fan tribute video

2013-11-21T23:30:21Z

From DoctorWho.com:

“50 Years in Time and Space” Is a Wonderful Fan-Made Animated Tribute

YouTube (source)

Honesty is the best policy!

2013-11-20T20:24:56Z

All credit to 'Anonymous' for their honesty!

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Joanna Vanderham: stage debut and Emmy nomination":

Hi there! This is kind of off topic but I need some advice from an established blog. Is it very difficult to set up your own blog? I'm not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I'm thinking about making my own but I'm not sure where to begin.

Do you have any points or suggestions? Thank you

Here is my web page; hack Twitter account

Colour me amused ;)

Was it something I said?

2013-11-12T23:27:57Z

I have a question, fellow LiveJournallers:

When someone removes you from their Friends List after four years, without so much as a "Hey I need to reduce my LJ interaction so I'm dropping some people who no longer share many of my interests" (or something similarly courteous), does LiveJournal protocol dictate that you drop them too?

P.S. I think I've asked this before, but (a) I can't remember the answer(s) and (b) I'm curious to know what everyone else does in this situation.

DTSO - November sign-ups

2013-10-31T22:35:58Z

Originally posted by helygen at November sign-ups

November promises to be an exciting month for DT fans - he'll still be playing Richard II (until 16 November, when they break to move the play to London), and he'll be starring in The Escape Artist and, of course, the Doctor Who special.

All this is likely to bring new examples of the sexy for us to discuss, and new photos to share, over the coming weeks :)

If you'd like to host your own Sexy-Off in November, simply stake your claim here (there are currently three slots available)

Week including Friday 1 November
Week including Friday 8 November helygen
Week including Friday 15 November
Week including Friday 22 November
Week including Friday 29 November empressnan

The Sexy Off traditionally starts on a Friday, but if another day works for you then that's fine too. You can choose to host your Sexy-Off on any day within your chosen week (hosting for the whole week is fine, too, but not essential) - just let me know what day you'd like to start.

For more info on what's involved, please read the updated guidance and FAQ here

If you need to know something that's not covered in that post, please ask here or DM me.

P.S. Anyone can join in at DTSO, with or without posting pictures.

Stratford upon Avon / Richard II

2013-10-13T20:26:52Z

Stratford upon Avon is one of my favourite places on the planet: along with Glasgow and Chester and Cardiff, it's a town that I will never tire of visiting. I spent less than eighteen hours there last week, but it was worth it!

After my exam on Thursday, I drove from Birmingham to Stratford upon Avon, arriving at my hotel at around 5.30 p.m.
I was late, so S was waiting for me in reception, and we drove immediately into town to pick up H, then went to dinner at Cafe Rouge on Sheep Street. It was lovely to finally relax (the exam had been nerve-wracking and headache-inducing, and the drive from Birmingham had been infuriatingly slow) and to spend some time catching up.

After dinner, we walked around the corner to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. We stood chatting outside the auditorium door for a while, and I was thrilled when the gorgeous Georgia brushed past me (she was being escorted back stage; I didn't see her again). My mostly non-spoilery report on Richard II is here (Tumblr). It's not a review, it's just a summary of my experience, with photos. Two excellent reviews can be found here and here.

I'm collecting photos of David signing autographs at the Stage Door; you can see them here.

On Friday morning, after saying goodbye to H at the train station, S and I went into Stratford upon Avon. We had breakfast (coffee with scone and jam) at the Fourteas Tea Room on Sheep street, a delightful forties-themed establishment. This photo shows tin helmets and great coats hanging on the coat-stand; unfortunately you can't properly see the pictures or wartime newspaper articles on the wall beyond.

We strolled through the town, stopped to chat with the foreman in charge of setting up the Mop Fair - and learned the history behind the event from him (info here and here) - then we walked back along the river to the car, returning to our hotel for a coffee before I headed home. I took these photos with my phone:

I'll be returning to Stratford upon Avon next month, to see Richard II again. I've arranged to stay two nights, and hope to have time to enjoy more of the town during that visit.

Need a ticket to see Richard II?

2013-10-08T08:45:03Z

My friend has a spare ticket to see Richard II in Stratford-upon-Avon on Thursday 10 October.

It's on Row E, in the 30-39 seat area, and the price is £40.

Please DM me if you're interested, or pass on this message to anyone else you think may be interested.

x-posted to r2dt2013 and tennant_love

Live From New York -- It's...

2013-10-05T23:14:56Z

Originally posted by beachy_geek - Live From New York -- It's...

See more at dt_sexy_off

The Friday Five for 4 October 2013...

2013-10-04T20:51:24Z

Originally posted by ariestess at The Friday Five for 4 October 2013...

Computers!

When did you/your family get your first computer?

What type of computer was it?

What were your favorite things to do on your first computer?

When did you/your family first connect to the Internet?

How did you spend time online when you first connected?
(sic)

My son had one in the 80s, probably around 1988-89. I had my first PC in 1996.

No idea what my son had (I was oblivious to such things in those days), but mine was a HP something or other.

I wasted a LOT of time on solitaire for the first few weeks, before getting rid of it. After that ... see Q5.

1996

I discovered The Bronze Posting Board (predecessor of The Bronze Beta) and spent a lot of time on the forums there. Then City of Angel came along, and I split my time between the two. Happy days!

Re-posted from this weekend's DTSO

2013-09-14T21:26:30Z

Originally posted by empressnan at "The Face"

Happy Friday the 13th, y'all! Hope you guys had a good one. My theme is rather simple this time. David has such an expressive face. But my favorite shots of said face aren't exactly the typical ones. So below are a few that I could stare at forever.

To get us started, how about some ickle David??

Now for some serious-face David...

And no one can resist that smile...

And what would a weekend be without a wee bit of Dark Doctor...

So, time for "Count The Freckles" David...

And lastly, my new personal favorite that I found last night. I've been humming this tune all day...

David Tennant returns to the Royal Shakespeare Company

2013-01-23T20:31:59Z

Pinched shamelessly from David Tennant on Twitter's David Tennant Treat 4 Today:

Colour me delighted :)

Decisions! Decisions!

2012-07-25T07:26:46Z

I'm faced with a dilemma, and I need to make a decision very soon (August).

As many of you know, my dream is to receive a traditional publishing contract that will put my books on the shelves of local and national book stores (they're currently only available online).

Some of you may not know that I've also dreamt, since High School, of studying for a degree. I've been looking recently at the Open University and they have the perfect course for me: BA (Honours) English Language and Literature.

My dilemma is this: the degree will need a commitment of six years' part-time study, and that will take up all the spare time that is currently devoted to my writing goals (writing to agents, working on sequels, networking, book signings, etc)

Before I flip a coin, I'd like to know what you would do in this situation.

View Poll: Decisions, decisions!

Holy Crap. Oh my. Um ... Jeez

2012-07-22T08:12:30Z

I’ve been resisting the “50 Shades” bandwagon because of the comments that friends have been making about the book. My summary of their reactions to the story is:

• Readers seem to be split 50/50: half love/like/enjoy it, half can’t understand what the fuss is about.
• Writers can’t understand how the hell it got published.

I felt that if I read the book and discovered that the latter was true, then I’d be beyond annoyed, so I took the decision to ignore peer pressure and simply wait for the fuss to die down.

Curiosity finally got the better of me at 3 o'clock this morning (oh the joys of insomnia) and I began to read the preview on Amazon. It quickly dawned on me that I’d read the opening chapter before – possibly on Live Journal, but definitely before all the hype – and once more I found myself skimming it. I read beyond the extract I’d previously read, but skimmed even more as I became increasingly irritated by the repetitive dialogue (Jeez, Holy Crap, Um, Oh my, etc).

Despite my best endeavour I gave up before the end of the preview, so I don’t even know if any of the notorious sex scenes are included in that. If I’d paid for the book I’d have felt ripped off within a page or two, and I’m not just saying that to justify my disdain for this series – the preview is all the justification I need.

Whilst on Amazon, I took a look at the reviews summary. This is how it looked at 3 a.m.:

3.2 out of 5 stars

5 star:	41%	(3,617)
4 star:	10%	(869)
3 star:	8%	(667)
2 star:	9%	(776)
1 star:	32%	(2,827)

If you translate the rating system as I do, then
5 star = excellent
4 star = good
3 star = okay
2 star = poor
1 star = shite

The mathematicians among us will quickly see that the okay/poor/shite ratings aren't far behind the excellent/good ratings (49% vs 51%)

The headline comments are:

“The books are not well written, incredibly repetitive, there is little character development, and the sex scenes are, well, vanilla.” sailorgirl27 | 1,807 reviewers made a similar statement
“This book had me turning the pages and wanting to know what happens in the end.” Nix | 781 reviewers made a similar statement
“I am not even talking about the sex, which at 58% read, is getting really boring, how many times can someone say "crap" or "oh my"???” ctwain | 683 reviewers made a similar statement

A very telling (4 star) review is entitled “Loved it, HOWEVER all the bad reviews are true!”

I admire the PR team behind E L James, and her obviously influential circle of fanfic fans online, because together they’ve broken the publishing mould. What this says about acceptable standards of editing, proof-reading and story-telling is matter for another discussion entirely.

For now, I can only shrug my shoulders and agree with the old adage that “Sex sells”

*To blow my own trumpet, my book has received 7 reviews with an average 4.7 rating on Amazon.com, and 4 reviews with an average 4.8 rating on Amazon.co.uk

Look - it's a poll! Ticky boxes!

2012-07-01T22:06:30Z

View Poll: Reviews on Amazon

He's doing another one!!!

2012-07-01T20:10:06Z

David's been announced this afternoon as the first guest for Showmasters' Lords of Time convention in Birmingham (7 - 9 September)

More details at the Showmasters site

Originally posted at david_t_fix

Shameless self-advertising

2012-06-28T20:58:30Z

Every now and then, I make reference in my Live Journal updates to "my books".

If you're curious and would like to know more about them, then please visit my website or my blog.

If you're curious enough to want to buy one or both, then there are several options open to you:

from Amazon - £6.75 (pp usually free) At the moment, only the first book is available there.
from Lulu, the publishers - £5.75 / £6.65 + pp
from my website, using PayPal £5 / £5.50 + pp
from my Amazon Shop - £5 / £5.50 + pp

Buying from my website or my Amazon Shop gives you the added option of requesting a personalised copy ;)

If you have the time, I'd really welcome your feedback on any of the above links - what you like, what you don't like, etc.

15 Grammar Goofs That Make You Look Silly

2012-06-26T22:27:19Z

There are so many more than fifteen in popular use at the moment, but this list is a good place to start!

Like this infographic? Get more copywriting tips from Copyblogger.

If the image doesn't display properly, the original can be seen here

Goodreads giveaway

2012-06-09T17:20:29Z

Goodreads Book Giveaway

New Beginnings: Moving On

by Johanna Nield

Giveaway ends June 15, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win

Coming soon ...

2012-06-04T22:35:25Z

Only another week or so - can't wait!

Source: YouTube

Sage Words

2012-05-05T22:18:45Z

Originally posted by xenaclone at Sage Words

Originally posted by ceosanna at Sage Words

Posted/written by seanan_mcguire:

Dear girls of the world today;

There is nothing wrong with you.

Everything I see, everything I read, everything I hear, is geared toward telling you that something is wrong with you. You're too fat. You're too thin. Your skin is terrible. You look too young. You look too old. You're too smart, you're too dumb, you talk too much, you don't talk enough, you're broken, you're flawed, you're bad. And all those things are lies. They are exaggerations. They are designed to pick on the things you feel insecure about, and convince you that you will never be happy unless you force yourself into their standards of perfection.

They will tell you that you are weak; that girls can't deal with spiders or do maths or love snakes or run nations or be scientists. They will tell you that you must be indecisive, flighty, more interested in the interests that are chosen for you than the ones that you choose for yourself. They will tell you that you have to change yourself to suit them, and then they will keep moving the goalposts, so that you're never done changing, and you're never allowed to be you. And they are wrong. They are so, so wrong, and you are better than the lies they tell you.

If you are a girl, you are a girl. Period, finish, end statement. It doesn't matter what you look like or what you enjoy doing. It doesn't matter what your biological gender is or was. It doesn't matter who or what or why you love. All that matters is that you love, and that you accept that you are you, and you are awesome.

It's okay if you love pink. Some girls genuinely do. I genuinely do. Once, we would all have been viewed as cross-dressing and weird for liking pink, which was a male colour. Times change. If you want to own your own pinkness, do, and don't let anyone tell you that makes you less of a feminist.

It's okay if you hate pink. You're not denying your gender or letting down the side, or anything else like that. You're a person, and there are a lot of colours out there to fall in love with. I recommend orange, green, and anything that sears your retinas.

Frills and lace and high heels and make-up are all fine. So are denim and combat boots and tattoos. So is everything between those extremes.

Collect dolls or knives or books or interesting rocks. Watch horror movies or romances or cartoons. Run races; go to spas. Eat cake or lettuce. Buy yourself a toy light saber and make your own wooooom noises while you wave it around; build a cardboard castle and chuck plush mushrooms at your would-be rescuers. Live your life, the way you want to live it, and understand that no one can kick you out of "the girl club" for doing it wrong, because you're not.

You're doing it exactly right, and I love you for that.

Corn maze love,
Me.

For what it's worth, I'm not overly fond of pink, and I'm more likely to recommend red as a retina-searing colour of choice. As a child, I played football and 'war' with the boys, but I also rode ponies and had dolls (Sindy and Action Man) and played 'house' with the girls. As an adult, I have tattoos and I'm more comfortable in denim and combat boots, but I go to the hair salon every six weeks and the nail salon once a month, and I own some killer heels if the occasion calls for them.

All of which is my way of saying that, although I have no idea what "corn maze love" means, I'm 100% behind the sentiment of this post ;)