tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4542918678542488862012-02-17T16:14:49.829ZDebs RiccioWYSIWYG foreverDebs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.comBlogger2811100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-82385090131333001582012-02-12T17:15:00.000Z2012-02-12T17:15:13.249ZMe - In Interview!Strictly Writing, the other site I write for, is stuffed full of fabulous people. Not least the other members of the Strictly Team, without whom the dark writing days would seem bleaker. But by far the best people on the Strictly site are our gamut of lovely followers.
And after I'd announced my recent foray into self-publication, one loyal follower, Derek, invited me to guest post on his blogDebs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-17369224750047247962012-01-31T17:47:00.000Z2012-01-31T17:47:39.814ZBucking Hell!Ah puns, you make me giggle. (*post title).
Some things never change. Not only have I NOT done anything I vowed on my New Years' Resolutions List, but I have done things in the space of 30 days I didn't even know I was considering. Even though they might have been on the back-burner of my mind.
So... let's get to the 'bucking' point, shall we?
Even though I knew full well at the age of 15 Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-84978935302923517782012-01-22T17:02:00.001Z2012-01-22T17:02:51.807ZBooks, Books, Books...
PERFECT MATCH - Jodi Picoult
We all know how much I love Jodi Picoult's books, and this is NO exception. When Nina and Caleb discover their five year old son has been sexually abused , the ensuing investigation threatens to tear the very fabric of their world apart. The twists and turns in this book made me gasp out loud and want to punch somebody in the face, and then I cried. The clue Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-24759524528058869342012-01-08T15:54:00.002Z2012-01-08T16:06:08.773ZUncle Pete...
I woke up to some sad news this morning. My favourite Uncle (and Godfather), Pete died Friday evening. Aged 91 I believe. He and Aunty Celia - that's him in the jaunty red shirt with Aunty Ce in the blue cardy in my parents garden in the 1970's - my mother is in pink slacks (when did we stop calling crimplene trousers 'slacks' I wonder?) (probably when we stopped wearing crimplene anything Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-30060493959439148262011-12-31T13:02:00.000Z2011-12-31T13:02:38.524ZShould Auld Aquaintance.... and all that
This is one of two of the oldest friends I have. Her name is Hilary and we met at Primary School when we were 8 years old. We've been through puberty, passionate crushes on shakin' Stevens, first kisses, marriage, motherhood, divorce, bereavement and other endless crap together (and apart) and although we continue to this day to fall out over the silliest of things, we still love each Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-61606962907730840622011-11-04T16:50:00.002Z2011-11-04T16:50:46.465ZStrange Days Indeed
There’s
a proper (like, REAL) possibility of that virtual reality ‘game’ thing
happening that featured for the majority of ‘The Matrix’ – we caught this
on an episode of ‘The Gadget Show’ and I was almost blown away by it. In fact had I not had my AntiD’s
increased two-fold (that’s double strength, right?) I think I’d have wept and
danced at the sheer impossibilityDebs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-88389520160426891872011-10-27T14:55:00.001+01:002011-10-27T14:55:52.705+01:00Of Canines and Felines<!--[if gte mso 9]>
Normal
0
false
false
false
MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4ptDebs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-51254339737879261952011-10-17T12:55:00.000+01:002011-10-17T12:56:29.468+01:00If a Physician should ‘heal himself’, should a Writer ‘pen’ herself better?
An offhand comment from my ‘new’ – and-therefore-complete-stranger-of-a-doctor
last week has been making me wonder.
Along with her deeply insensitive recommendations to ensure a speediness
of recovery (including such chestnuts as “hang in there”, “time’s a great
healer” and “some traumas take longer to recover from than others”) was the
hope that I was ‘journaling or whatever else your Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-76021239169173995482011-10-14T13:09:00.000+01:002011-10-14T13:09:06.645+01:00Run Down
You: "Gah, I don't know, she writes these funny, insightful, intelligent, sensitive posts which make me yowl (yes, there is such a word) with delight, then she doesn't write anything for weeks... then months.... then all of a sudden she's BACK but she's blummin' well fed up. *sigh*. Think I might just un-follow and start to read stuff by people who are a lot less flaky than her....life's too Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-45299417214622119722011-09-04T15:40:00.002+01:002011-09-04T22:02:26.403+01:00Part Two...More Books...
'Second Glance' by Jodi Picoult (fast-becoming an obsession of mine, clearly!)
Loved, Loved, LOVED this - anything that tells of a broken man who yearns (and tries unsuccessfully, thankfully) to be with his dead True Love, throws in some long-buried Native Indian secrets and a mother desperate to make her son as happy and normal as he can be whilst living under very abnormal Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-2563961187078637072011-08-30T11:41:00.000+01:002011-08-30T11:41:49.291+01:00What I did this Summer (ha 'Summer'! *snort*) PART ONEWith a vaguely self-satisfied smile, because, really, who honestly gives a stuff WHAT I got up to during my Summer (*snort*) holidays? I mean, REALLY? Who CARES?! here's what I've been up to.
Clearly the Counselling still has a way to go with confidence issues, but I digress...
The main reason for writing this post is to see if the result will make me feel any better about myself and/or my 'Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-86046220412178012192011-08-24T22:09:00.000+01:002011-08-24T22:09:45.465+01:00Hello... over here! *waves*
Here I am.....
http://www.strictlywriting.blogspot.com being all bloggy about how writing has always been an integral part of that four-letter word - WORK.And for anybody who's ever wanted to know anything about shrinkwrapping, look no further!
Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-85538356601110771962011-08-08T12:27:00.000+01:002011-08-08T12:27:39.669+01:00I'm saying... Nothing
Sometimes I think I shouldn’t be allowed out.Maybe that’s why I’m mostly In.I’ve just commented on a status update on Facebook and already there are comments following this that lead me to believe I’ve just said something else that makes me look like an arse.If only *arse* wasn’t one of my most favouriest words in the world. In fact I wish I’d had the chance to use it more frequently when my Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-35375537627144547052011-07-26T12:19:00.000+01:002011-07-26T12:19:40.438+01:00Can you tell what it is yet?It's simple. It's straightforward. It has a quirky reddish tinge about it.
I'm saying no more.
Happy holidays!Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-50068429822927383822011-07-20T16:24:00.001+01:002011-07-21T16:57:45.296+01:00The Best Laid PlansDuring this year's summer break I'm tricking my brain (*snort*) into believing that I have all manner of industrious things lined up for it... for example:
1. I shall be going through my wardrobe and drawers with a fine-toothed comb and eking out any disturbing items of clothing I may have lurking within - items that are, for instance:
a) too tight
b) too loud
c) too young
d) too old
Let Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-83762588930547670852011-07-06T18:08:00.000+01:002011-07-06T18:08:40.924+01:00A Suitable Candidate<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4ptDebs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-85157928756288837992011-06-29T20:45:00.001+01:002011-06-29T20:54:12.791+01:00Miss Me?Here's what I've been doing:
Reading:
'ROOM' by Emma Donoghue.
Was fab. Lapped it up like a vanilla milkshake. I didn't like all the 'hype' that surrounded it and got (as always) uber-envious of it's star-studded-status on the top of every list going and mentally refused to acknowledge it for months. Then caved. After all, who am I to judge? What I really loved about it was the way little Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-25972795015345699642011-06-20T16:29:00.000+01:002011-06-20T16:29:33.669+01:00Holding out for a Hero...
I'm blogging over at Strictly Writing today if y'all want to pop over and see what I have to say about Mr Hero. There's hot coffee and warm muffins too... well, virtually. See you there!Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-59501875263621310902011-06-11T09:59:00.001+01:002011-06-11T10:01:13.105+01:00Proud Parent MomentsIt's no secret to any of you that I am THE proudest Mummy in the entire world for having the most beautiful, funny, intelligent, caring and talented daughter ever (even if she DOES still spill tea on her duvet cover in the morning).
And the past couple of weeks have made me want to toot my horn of proudness even louder.
Since finishing her AS Levels she's been on study leave and so has been Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-72430076869935389702011-05-31T14:24:00.002+01:002011-05-31T18:15:32.349+01:00A Barbeque (How it’s NOT supposed to Happen):1. Decide to have BBQ on the day that weather forecasters tell the UK that it is due clouds, light rain turning heavier in the afternoon. AND YET STILL ignore wife’s insistence that sometimes weather forecasters CAN get it right.
2. Continue to steadfastly believe that weather forecasters are a bunch of idiots because they forgot to forewarn the hurricane about 5 years ago (so, just Michael FishDebs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-55032973730668484812011-05-27T17:21:00.000+01:002011-05-27T17:21:57.293+01:00Things I learned today1. It takes at least 24 minutes before my brain will accept I have to open my eyes and move limbs.
2. The first cup of tea is the BEST cup of tea (and not just because I didn’t make it. Hang on, maybe it IS because I don’t make it).
3. Chris Evans’ voice is tinny and irritating if listened to from another room. But then the same could be said of anybody, perhaps.
4. I like working alone. I Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-38933106807637657692011-05-18T21:17:00.002+01:002011-05-18T21:20:37.236+01:00HERE’S ONE I MADE EARLIERThis morning, when my husband asked me what I had planned at work, I replied: “I’m turning a sheet of cardboard into a Native Indian Camp using sand, rabbit straw and PVA glue. Then I’m making a 3D totem pole and action figures. The children made their own teepees.”
He looked a bit incredulous (but he’s heard a lot more convoluted) then laughed: “You don’t go to work, you go to playschool”. Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-37375488347538450162011-05-14T15:10:00.000+01:002011-05-14T15:10:30.024+01:00‘The Unseen’ by Katherine Webb<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4ptDebs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-80396150518648291802011-05-10T16:38:00.000+01:002011-05-10T16:38:09.090+01:00An open letter to the Tax Man...<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4ptDebs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-5707920703666119352011-05-06T16:17:00.002+01:002011-05-06T17:16:37.791+01:00I Interviewed Lisa Jewell!I know!
Lovely publisher people, Random House sent me Lisa's new book, 'The Making of Us' (and it's not even released yet!) I couldn't wait - and couldn't STOP reading it... it's just UTTERLY, UTTERLY FABULOUS, there's no other way of saying it. It should be on prescription, it should be made compulsory reading, it should be posted through everybody's letterboxes immediately. Everyone Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-69990050464247117382011-05-01T18:23:00.002+01:002011-05-01T18:37:40.416+01:00Some Book ReviewsTHE GLASS PAINTER'S DAUGHTERI finished this book a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Main character, Fran is drawn back into both her own childhood due to the hospitalisation of her father (she has to return to her home-town to take care of his glass studio) and also into the past of Laura, the rector's daughter whose journals Fran finds hidden in her father's flat above his studio.
I'm Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-9507821714621474442011-04-29T06:00:00.003+01:002011-04-29T06:00:01.774+01:00Once in a Lifetime Recipe for Royal Wedding Pancakes:Ingredients (probably):
Plain flour,
An egg,
Pinch of salt,
Milk,
Water,
Lemon Juice,
Sugar,
Telly,
Method:
1. Turn on Telly.
1. Get your mum to mix everything in a bowl, cook and deliver fresh, hot pancakes to your semi-upright position on the sofa.
3. Eat pancakes whilst William and Katherine perform their nuptials.
4. Suggest tea is made to wash down devoured pancakes.
5. Loaf (Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-23562553286948643862011-04-21T15:25:00.000+01:002011-09-04T17:35:24.031+01:00Visual Delights...
"DESPICABLE ME"
I have to confess I didn't even know about this film when it came out, apart from reading comments on Facebook and Twitter from happy parents who'd taken their children to see it. (Hi, Keris, *waves*). And after I'd read the back cover I still wasn't sure, but we watched it the other night (2 adults, 2 teenagers....) and we all LOVED it. I *heart* when a miserable grouch, Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-88679957647740457372011-04-15T14:09:00.003+01:002011-04-21T15:50:28.212+01:00How I'm preparing for 'The Wedding'... or Dull, Dull, Very, Very Dull
If it hadn’t been for the frock and the cake I’d have been bored at both my own weddings.
And it’s so much worse when you’re ‘just’ a guest.
How DULL can something be? A whole day spent wearing something you probably won’t wear again (at considerable expense to yourself, unless you have a ‘range’ of wedding outfits you use on a rotational system and don’t Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-32174404214336138372011-04-12T15:00:00.001+01:002011-04-21T15:51:04.693+01:00Stop looking over the fenceMy Note from the Universe this morning made me think more deeply than I think I ever have before actually getting out of bed. And that's saying something.
Usually I've thought through a myriad of things, such as what the weather is doing and how it will affect a) driving conditions b) frizziness of hair c) choice of clothes - i.e. vest or no vest basically - that most mornings I'm exhausted Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-69846465348461835232011-04-08T18:03:00.002+01:002011-04-21T15:52:06.152+01:00Loos Woman (NOT a typo)I've always had toilet-based dreams.
That's not to say that I don't dream of anything BUT a nice white cistern and porcelain flush handle, I certainly DO (including Johnny Depp at times), but toilets seem to hold some kind of repeat fascination for my sleep-addled state.
Mostly I am in urgent need of a toilet - in my dream I mean. And there are always corridors to navigate before I find one. Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-20954718487209401892011-04-03T19:40:00.000+01:002011-04-03T19:40:12.423+01:00My Mother, Marilyn Monroe
Hard to believe that this is the same woman who gave birth to me, but here she is in her full fifteen years old glory, on Scratby beach or somewhere else equally exotic in 1952.
Talk about glamorous.
I remember my heart always picked up speed when I saw this photograph. It was like looking at somebody else - which I guess we all are before we become mothers ourselves.
Happy Mothers Day, Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-41757740419073745672011-03-31T17:35:00.002+01:002011-04-21T15:53:46.538+01:00Lately I've been...Reading:
The Untied Kingdom by Kate JohnsonI was lucky enough to receive a pre-publication copy of Kate's new book, The Untied Kingdom from publishers Choc Lit, and was delighted to find I CAN read off-genre. In fact I'd find it difficult to put this book into a current genre. it's a book that has EVERYTHING: romance, quirky humour, surrealism, army warfare and actual proper edge-of-seat Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-61330059399409356202011-03-23T21:13:00.001Z2011-03-23T21:14:56.606ZMy Feature about how Dad predicted the date he'd die and then popped back from the dead...... is NOT now going to be published. I know, I know... talk about pride before a fall, blowing my own trumpet so loud I make my lips fall off, or something dumb like that...BUT the upshot of it is, the magazine rewrote the thousand words I sent them, even though they'd told me it was a "lovely account" AND they cut the piece by half. Half! I'd had a hard job getting it down to 1,000 words so Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-45151782502699121682011-03-15T11:11:00.000Z2011-03-15T11:11:57.746ZHelping Japan with An Auction of Wordy Fabulousness!If Keris Stainton gets any more wonderful, she'll explode and cover the whole world with glittery bits that will make you smile so wide your face will fall off.
Nobody can help but be affected by the terrible tragedy in Japan and it's impossible to know how we'd be coping if this had happened to us. It's beyond comprehension.
But everyone can do something - however small. Although, Keris Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-26570248500338448622011-03-12T15:10:00.005Z2011-03-12T15:26:25.625ZOnwards and ... onwards...cos this is what seems to be happening lately. Seems I don't have time to blog more than once a week *even though I have PLENTY of time to Tweet and Facebook and other distractionally things of course* and although the housework (which is a four-letter word) NEVER gets done anyway, time still seems to be slipping through my ever-ageing fingers. Nice image. Wrinkly, papery old lady fingersDebs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-3092650693637859832011-03-05T14:45:00.002Z2011-04-21T16:17:57.831+01:00I'm going to be published!...Okay, not in a whole book kinda way, but in a proper, print-on-paper - in a proper National glossy magazine.... and not until the June issue (which is out 5 May if you'd like to add it to that week's grocery list) but enough of the *although*s - this IS FAB NEWS! My first ever feature and I'm going to be PAID for it and everything!
*Unless you count the years I spent writing features for Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-68339703775880623332011-02-28T16:56:00.001Z2011-02-28T16:58:08.126ZNervous tension? Create a book cover!Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-83437951548525017362011-02-27T16:31:00.002Z2011-04-21T15:54:32.727+01:00TV Highlight of The Week...Definition of LOL (from the last episode of "Episodes")
NEARLY as good as the fight scene from Bridget Jones - between our Colin and our Hughie...
(oh, and just in case nobody else watches this - it hasn't had GREAT reviews but I liked it) the bottles being thrown are "How U Doin'" Aftershave samples... enjoy!
Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-90461982609746193732011-02-24T15:01:00.001Z2011-03-05T21:42:09.729ZHaving a Lovely Time - makes a change!This week I've had some lovely things happen to me. Apart from ageing 12 months I mean... which has to happen to have a Birthday, so I guess one cancels out the other. A bit of Yin-Yang.
I had a very unexpected delivery in the shape of an Amazon-gift-wrapped DVD set of Fawlty Towers from my oldest (and gayest) friend in the world. I don't mean he's the oldest person I know (although he IS Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-35385794582985567562011-02-19T14:43:00.001Z2011-03-05T21:43:05.516ZThe Sarra Manning ExperienceThe first time I encountered Sarra Manning I was sitting on the loo and just happened to pick up a book that had been lying face down on the floor. This was 'Let's Get Lost' and the, then 13 year old Girl was well and truly into it, taking it everywhere with her. Well, apart from when she'd left it lying on the bathroom floor or course.
Half an hour and probably a fast-approaching Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-61503207226881915872011-02-16T17:49:00.003Z2011-04-21T15:57:36.178+01:00And the Award for the Person Most Delighted to be Awarded an Award goes to...I'm just very grateful I'm not receiving it from either Wossy or David Brent 'cos they'd both make me feel so inferior that I'd probably wet the red carpet with fear.
So my thanks go to the incomparably gorgeous Suz Korb who blogs at Bang Out The Prose for awarding me with this honour. Stylish... pfft! Really? Me?!
Anyway, as per instructions, here are 7 things you might not (want to) know Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-70917172535357141422011-02-15T15:50:00.001Z2011-04-21T15:54:58.040+01:00Move over Darling...
Is it any wonder I can't wait to get back to bed when it looks like this?
I *heart* my bed/room and I can't think of a nicer place I'd ever want to be, anywhere in the world, including Dorset.
(this blog post is brought to you in conjunction with two nights' bad sleep, a chill in the air and a fabulously moreish book called "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" which I'm actually rationing Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-77963609763250021972011-02-13T16:00:00.003Z2011-04-21T15:55:33.616+01:00The Best Valentines Day present…. Ever!.
There’s a lot of talk about visualisation and making things happen, and feeling the positivity and faking it ‘til you’re making it, and although I’m not renowned for having a glass-half-full, there WAS a time when I actually believed it could be if I wanted it hard enough.
My heart-shaped gift aged 9
I knew I wanted to be married before I was thirty. I ju-ust scraped through that one. Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-47592715642537560452011-02-08T15:50:00.001Z2011-04-21T15:55:54.213+01:00The Magic and Music of WritingChris Evans generally delights me first thing in the morning (sorry Terry, but it's true, he's a GEM of a replacement!) but last week I found myself BEYOND delighted as he announced the 500 Words Short Story Competition for children aged 13 and under.
It's such a FAB-U-LOUS idea and because I can't enter myself (not even if I had, as a friend cheekily suggested, a "bit of a fringe trim") I've Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-8270171687847109632011-02-05T15:57:00.002Z2011-04-21T15:56:18.784+01:00What I've been Reading:'From Notting Hill With Love... Actually' does precisely what it says on the cover. Even before this plopped through my Amazon-shaped letter box, I knew I would love it. (Who says I never look forward to anything?! Alright, me, usually) It didn't disappoint. Okay, so I knew who the main character was going to find her Happy Ending with right from the start, but then half the enjoyment of Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-279303482746177502011-01-30T13:20:00.003Z2011-04-21T15:57:09.421+01:00Mirror, Signal, ManoeuvreTo commemorate The Girl having her first Driving Lesson today – how OLD does that make me feel? I thought I’d share some driving… erm… ‘experiences’ with you all:
1. I will always remember my first proper lesson (i.e. NOT the one with Dad fuming and huffing and rattling the gear-stick with one hand on the flippin’ steering wheel which really did my confidence NO good whatsoever) and the sense ofDebs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-20153005334755261732011-01-25T17:11:00.002Z2011-04-21T16:01:02.720+01:00An excerpt from Nearly Finished Book No.5!This is the section in 'Grounded' where the Main Character, Becca has gone home with her best friend, Liberty. As Becca is electronically 'grounded' (i.e. no mobile, internet, iPod, etc) she's making very full use of Liberty's computer when she's at her house after school one night. She's currently checking out Facebook and wondering if the boy she's in love with is secretly in love with the Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-33500796739968011732011-01-22T15:32:00.003Z2011-04-21T16:03:51.498+01:00It's about time I gave myself a Damned Good Talking ToSee that up there? The blog-banner? It clearly says "WRITING STUFF" doesn't it? So why am I not doing what it says on the packet and just getting on with it? I've given myself so many 'excuses/reasons' that I've actually NOW run out of them...
"I'm waiting for those Agents to get back to me" - what, so you're just going to sit about with your hands under your arse until one of them gives youDebs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-53702339010824880522011-01-20T17:32:00.003Z2011-01-20T18:00:19.597ZHere's One I Made Earlier...
"this is no ordinary chicken leftovers pie..." click to embiggen
Impressed? I know... I know... no autographs please... it's just a Chicken leftovers pie. And it actually tastes nearly as good as it looks. As long as you like Brussels sprouts, which thankfully (clearly) we do!
I always try (hark at me, who do I think I am... Mrs Beeton, ffs?) to make my pastry slightly different each time..Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-15746706684956471492011-01-18T21:41:00.001Z2011-01-18T21:45:20.478ZTight? Arse.
Lovely shoes...
Tight is not a word I’d associate with myself. However my husband’s opinion may differ. He is not what I would call a careful spender. For instance one year he bought two, yes two pink shirts in slightly different shades of pink to wear for the same wedding because he couldn’t quite make up his mind which one went better with the ties… yes, ties plural… he’d also bought (Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-21447876958249743692011-01-14T17:42:00.003Z2011-04-21T15:58:12.100+01:00Not Beaten (not even whisked lightly until I form soft peaks...)
This week I rediscovered a hitherto uncelebrated character trait. I persevere. Which is not the same as saying “I plod” (…you plod, we plod, we are plodding…) no, I mean more that I don’t like to give up. I will try and try until I quite literally run out of steam and accept I have no alternative but to concede defeat. And that doesn’t happen very often.
In fact I can’t remember the last Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-61852076072948566882011-01-07T17:50:00.003Z2011-04-21T15:58:55.608+01:00Excuses, excuses...I’ve been meaning to do a post on this subject for ages. Ever since the mornings started feeling like the middle of the night and getting dressed for work feels not dissimilar to placing anything clothes-shaped onto a fuzzy-felt form in a dark room. Cupboard. Wherever. By Midday I am always embarrassed to note how terrible my endeavours to assemble myself of a morning are. Shocking. Beyond Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-73656517140309332202011-01-06T15:50:00.002Z2011-04-21T15:59:37.454+01:00Cut Back!Sit back, relax, wind the window down a bit, turn the radio up and soak up this lovely ECONOMY DRIVE we're currently enjoying!
Thanks to strict parental upbringings, I am delighted to report that we have already, over the space of four days – and even with the country tipping the 20 percent VAT scale – made a cumulative total of £30 per month savings! (That’s if you average out each individual Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-8797065070279907852011-01-03T21:41:00.003Z2011-04-21T16:00:13.326+01:00The Lurgy is Leaving the BuildingThe next time I notice a festive season on it's way, I promise that I shall have some illuminating, humorous and informative posts lined up and scheduled for your entertainment so that in the case of sudden bouts of Lurgy, there will be no discernible lapse in the blogging proceedings.
I shall also endeavour to supply associated illustrative effects to detract you, my lovely reader, from being Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-69945911145069892972010-12-24T15:55:00.002Z2010-12-24T20:47:43.909ZThe Post of Christmas Past...
The Good Old Days!
This is me aged 2 on Christmas Day. I can't tell you the year as it will do something terrible to the space-time continuum and we could all be sucked into the ether for such knowledge. Or I could die of supreme mortification - whichever is the sooner.
I actually remember this photograph being taken. It was probably something unearthly like 6.00 in the morning as I was one Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-57555649183037773702010-12-15T20:16:00.003Z2011-04-21T16:01:38.113+01:00Tree Guesses...
It's a tree Jim, but not as we know it!
Ever since the "Tiny Tears incident" circa 1970, Christmas hasn't been the same.
Not a difficult thing to appreciate if you can imagine being a young, eager girl, faced with the seventies Poundstretcher equivalent of this gorgeous cherubic baby that (should have) floppy 'lifelike' limbs, an open mouth, cry 'real' tears and pee into it's own nappy (Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-9689246485598841922010-12-08T17:44:00.004Z2011-04-21T16:02:10.516+01:00Captain's Blog: Stardate Eight Twelve TenSo I’ve been a bit quiet around these parts lately. I’ve been quiet around most parts actually, don’t take it personally, will you?I’ve started posts and deleted them, I’ve commented on other Blogger’s posts and deleted them and, like Mr Sinatra, I’ve loved, I’ve laughed and cried etc... but not found much about anything very amusing, to be honest.
I’ve cancelled my Counselling sessions. I Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-89218155822472107712010-12-01T06:00:00.014Z2010-12-01T06:00:01.353ZFab new book by the fab Talli Roland!My daughter used to laugh at me with my array of 'virtual friend's but nowadays, after years (some nearing a decade) of conversing with these people, I truly DO consider them proper friends in the real sense. And one of them, the effervescent and completely lovely Talli Roland, has her first fiction book released today. And I'm very happy to say that I'm part of her fabulous 'Blogsplash' in a Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-49382198902332168682010-11-23T15:57:00.004Z2011-04-21T16:02:54.855+01:00What I'm ReadingHaving finished my lovely friend Claire Allan's fourth book "It's Got to be Perfect", I’m now reading some other entertaining stuff and thought you might be interested:
On the loo (no, really. Okay then, does it sound better to say “in the bathroom”?) we have ‘Bad Karma’ by David Safier.
I blogged about the rather unusual premise for this a while back, but if you don't remember, you’ll just Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-89424345639286856532010-11-15T15:41:00.007Z2011-04-21T16:05:05.081+01:00To your knees, people, Boudica is IN THE BUILDING!I've been compared with many female characters in my lifetime. The first, obviously, because of the freckles, was Anne (of Green Gables). Did she have a surname? *Google says 'Shirley'* (co-incidentally my mother's name).
Have YOU seen my tonsils?
When I had my tonsils out at the rather decrepit age of 24 (and put in the children's ward, which is the USUAL place for humans having their Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-39619504133210643332010-11-08T16:59:00.003Z2011-04-21T16:11:35.968+01:00The Spin-Doctor will see me nowUnusually, totally out-of-character, I have decided to put a positive spin on things. In particular, these things, and, as Dermot always says, in no particular order:
the shite wet, freezing, bastard miserable weather outside today is, I’ve seen reported, apparently the tail-end of Hurricane Jedward which hit the UK from Ireland last night. And even though I’ve never know ofDebs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-11016791485784140192010-10-29T13:24:00.001+01:002010-10-29T13:44:16.120+01:00NaNoWriVo (that's 'National Novel Writing Vote'...please?)So there's only 2 days left in October. And we all know what happens on the First of November, don't we? *cue drum roll* YES! It's that celebrated time of the year once again where we (that's the writer 'we') chain ourselves to whichever surface our keyboard is sitting on and sweat out a minimum of 1,666 words per day for 30 days. So long as the total is 50,000 words by the end of the month.
Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-8623007175110594622010-10-24T15:45:00.005+01:002011-04-21T16:03:19.293+01:00Time well wastedI'm not liking Car Salesmen. Almost as much as I've come to not like Estate Agents or Insurance People or anybody else who thinks it's their job to sell you something you need at an over-inflated price you can ill-afford.
'Mr P'
Take for example... oh, let's call him Mr P... whom we met with the other day. For an appointment. A proper, pre-arranged appointment we'd made about 3 days Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-50061077505385814412010-10-23T19:02:00.000+01:002010-10-23T19:02:36.146+01:00Two fingers to fudge...<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4ptDebs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-62544450066591091342010-10-15T17:12:00.002+01:002011-04-21T16:02:32.552+01:00And how do you feel about that?
*see below*
So the counselling is still happening. And throwing up the occasional surprise, it has to be said.
Bearing in mind the initial reason for having these sessions was because of my shattered confidence behind the wheel of a car - due in no small part by having two die at my hands in 5 months, as regulars will already know - the 'conversation' occurring once a week doesn't seem to be Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-77350253444869788492010-10-09T18:00:00.006+01:002011-04-21T16:05:58.088+01:00Creature CrushesIt probably started with Thomas O'Malley. From the Aristocats... the Alley Cat.
Apart from him and Elvis Presley (oh and Andrew McChesney who was in my class and who got to see my knickers more than my mother did) there weren't many things that could make my heart flutter at aged 7. But he did. Big time.
I don't know if it was his voice, his slinky gait or his demeanour. Or the way that he Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-47564240447489800022010-10-04T20:55:00.001+01:002011-04-21T16:18:45.223+01:00How (not) to write a book1. Click on 'Favourites' and then 'Bank Account' and try to work out how come you've spent nearly a hundred quid in Sainsbury's since you last went, which was only two days ago. Surely there's baked beans and crap in the freezer you should be eating before replenishing your stocks? Didnt' you listen to ANYTHING your mother told you?!
And how come you seem to be spending more on Amazon books P&Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-40547546499316188182010-09-29T17:07:00.006+01:002010-09-29T21:22:54.439+01:00Meet Jacqueline HydeI've never counted properly before, but I've probably lost about half a dozen jobs/boyfriends during the grip of PMS. I very nearly said "particularly bad PMS" but then I don't think I've ever had "particularly good PMS" to warrant the existence of an opposite.
I do remember once, a guy at work scowling up at me from his desk saying "Are you on drugs or something, because your mood swings are Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-46343540701774729672010-09-23T21:19:00.005+01:002011-04-21T16:10:24.364+01:00Letting GoIt’s been a difficult thing to come to terms with and part of the reason I haven’t blogged about it before now is that I couldn’t find the words to properly describe the feelings it’s evoked.
Of course, some of you already know that I’m talking about the Girl having left home. Gone. From here. After 12 years of having to put up with me, she’s gone to live with her Dad.
And as we’ve spent Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-23934629959012288362010-09-23T15:29:00.004+01:002011-04-21T16:10:04.523+01:00Healing ThyselfSo, great news about the Ozone layer, yeah?
getting better now - officially!
Oh, and I also heard today that some Scientist guy who told everyone about the icecaps melting, was lying - ha! Yeah - good one - lol-ling my socks off over here, Boffin man! And, quite rightly, he's been lawfully charged with something or other. I forget the details. Anyway, in my head he looked like Emmet (Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-68468158686407288682010-09-20T15:43:00.003+01:002011-04-21T16:11:58.222+01:00OMG It's Got To Be Perfect, I'm 40!I feel very privileged to tell you that two of my loveliest writer friends have new books coming/out right now!
The funny, talented and super-storyteller, Claire Allan has her fourth book "It's got to be Perfect" out on the 28th - that's next Tuesday to me and you... and not only that, but she's also guest-appearing on the other site I write for, Strictly Writing on that day. So make a note Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-74681604111354359952010-09-16T21:01:00.002+01:002011-04-21T16:12:33.211+01:00Trepi-citement!
Pic from the vey vey funny "Savage Chicken" people
When I wrote my first book (listen to me - first book FFS! - which you can read the opening chapter of up there on one of those tab thingies, btw - called "LABRATS") I needed a word which didn't exist, which meant a mixture of Amazed and Disappointed - which is how my main character (actually a very badly disguised Real Me) made her father (anDebs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-33586266312382864652010-09-13T21:31:00.003+01:002011-04-21T16:12:52.114+01:00Simon Says (so does/do Roger and Val)Have you been watching "Val and Roger Have Just Got In"? We have. There they are. Dawn French and Alfred Molina playing the world-weary eponymous couple, and playing them beautifully and poignantly and in 'real-time'. It's just so brilliantly written. and it's all about Us. Me and The Hubs. Or You and Yours. It's a Little bit of Everyone. Especially the first episode where they have to Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-9621430858300806792010-09-07T17:22:00.007+01:002011-04-21T16:13:18.161+01:00Hocus Pocus, diddely doo...Some of you have probably heard me allude to this previously, but if you haven't, then all I can say is this:
"I Did Me a Spell and Got Me A Man" - and not just any old (not even 'old' as a matter of fact) 'man' because, reader, I married him!
I had 8 years (interspersed with the occasional 'relationship', of course, I'm only human - no, seriously, I am) of being a born-again-singleton, Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-41483036815629014962010-09-05T14:11:00.066+01:002011-04-21T16:14:35.565+01:00Instruction MANuals"Plug and Play" is a phrase I like. It implies minimal effort. It positively oozes simplicity and this is something I like. Simple, effortless stuff. Like lying in bed reading on a Sunday morning. No instructions required.
So this week, after three hours trawling through the reviews on Web-Cams on the Amazon website, I gave a sigh of relief when I finally found one that had 39 five stars Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-56054026636625148682010-09-03T16:03:00.000+01:002010-09-03T16:03:52.465+01:00Suspicious MindsI have a naturally suspicious mind. (Can I blame that on my upbringing?).
Point in case, when I was no more than seven, I was entered for our school's American Equivalent of the Spelling Bee Contest - yes, I was pretty hot with the letters even then - and actually recognised for it too! Anyway, and this could very possibly be the biggest, stupidest, most regretful thing I've ever done in my Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-34711712066991354082010-09-02T17:15:00.007+01:002011-04-21T16:15:15.081+01:00"I Believe I Can Fly...okay then, meow really loudly"My lovely (separated-at-birth) writer-sister Fionnuala blogged about self belief/confidence today here and she couldn't have posted at a more appropriate time.
I my teens I had a book of Quotes. The most heavily-thumbed section of which was self-belief/worth/confidence/ goal-achieving; that kinda thing. And it didn't matter how many times I repeated whatever quote I liked best that day/week, Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-17660300781457717932010-08-31T13:05:00.006+01:002010-08-31T14:08:53.965+01:00Call me old fashioned......but I think I'm old enough now to know what I like and what I don't.
Or rather, what I can tolerate and what I simply can't be arsed to any longer. And I think I've reached that stage in my life where I'm absolutely allowed to say 'enough', 'move on', 'life's too short' and all that jazz.
Okay, let's get to the point.
My last book came through from the lovely Transworld people when we got Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-73949882893857310242010-08-29T11:39:00.023+01:002010-08-29T12:00:57.234+01:00Follow these instructions, esp. if the weather's rubbish:It's not often I get an attack of the pozzitivities and there's no particular reason I should have a sudden outbreak of them right now. I mean, it's a(nother) grey and bleak-looking morning outside, my hair got so sun-stricken in Italy that I've just had the Hubs touch me up in the the kitchen (root-wise, not 'other'wise - we're very Health & Safety conscious here you know and there's always Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-65860773677873893392010-08-28T09:58:00.001+01:002011-04-21T16:15:41.192+01:00"Comeback Mountain"Keris led me to this from the lovely Facebook place. Even though I've made a joke in the title, it really is something rather lovely. And simply because we know what the That Boys have been through, it makes it all the more special. The sentiments are true of any relationship that's lost the way for whatever reason. Enjoy.
Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-66148261396376536982010-08-25T14:11:00.001+01:002011-04-21T16:16:26.111+01:00Anybody Miss Me?
Ginestra
So I've been here... and "Here" is Ginestra degli Shiavoni in the beautiful Italian mountains. And I can honestly say with hand on slowed-down-heart that it is probably the most beautiful place I've ever been to, seen or even wanted to go to. It's beauty cannot be described, and I'm generally quite handy with a description or two - but this was breathtaking. And I thought Dorset Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-29357885766932115152010-08-21T06:00:00.012+01:002010-08-21T06:00:04.942+01:00"Ah-ha!" - Movies you HAVE to watch twice
You know the ones I mean.
I think the first one I saw that made me think OMG - I HAVE to see this again to fully appreciate all the subtle nuances that went into twisting the whole thing up at the end was 'Fight Club'.
Who knew, right?
And the second time round it all manages to make such great sense that you wonder how come you didn't get it the first time round. But then you're not the Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-22694676825123178622010-08-18T06:00:00.064+01:002011-04-21T16:19:11.941+01:00Happy Wedding Anniversary to US!Once upon a time there was a Girl who read too many books (actually, there's no such thing) and watched too many films (ditto) and who dreamed of meeting a handsome prince.
This Prince would love her no matter how much she ate, and how wide her girth, or how loud she moaned and cried or how long she spent in the bathroom or on the computer.
And for a while, she'd forgotten how much she'd dreamed Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-76471515661144785292010-08-16T06:00:00.014+01:002010-08-16T06:00:04.811+01:00Anyone for NaNoWriMo ?It seems that news of this exercise of mammoth literary proportions gets earlier and earlier every year (maybe it's just me, maybe it's the 'circles' I mix in these days - thanks to the beautiful and talented Suz Korb for pointing this out to me on her equally beautiful blog, 'Bang out the Prose', btw) and I've just signed up for it.
The NaNoNoticeBoard
Again.
Which makes this the fifth (I Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-34142538109755347992010-08-13T06:00:00.013+01:002010-08-13T06:00:05.750+01:00A great couple of readsHere's the synopsis: Jack worships luck and decides his actions by the flip of a coin. No risk is too great if the coin demands it. Luck brings him Jess, a beautiful singer who will change his life. But Jack’s luck is running out, and soon the stakes are high. As chance and choice unravel, the risks of Jack’s game become terrifyingly clear. An evening of heady recklessness, and suddenly a Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-8025704256734363092010-08-11T06:00:00.006+01:002010-08-11T09:42:04.801+01:00Where I live, in my head:Other women wake up with perfectly applied (natural, naturally) make-up and hair that just needs a bit of a shake before they’re good to go.
[they don’t need to shut the curtains and pull the bedcovers over themselves AFTER they’ve left the bed for fear of husbands catching an unsightly glimpse and demanding a full refund]
Other women still have their natural, although sometimes highlighted, Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-31869802202597730942010-08-10T15:56:00.001+01:002010-08-10T15:58:12.753+01:00Book Review: "Second Hand Heart" by Catherine Ryan Hyde
3rd book in the Transworld Summer Reading Challenge
There's something about a book cover with grass on that makes me feel happy. And having already read one book by Catherine Ryan Hyde - "Chasing Windmills", which both the Girl and I loved, I was looking forward to reading this, her latest, and it didn't disappoint.
Vida is 19 and has been about to die ever since she was born with a defective Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-32503156541440144472010-08-08T10:44:00.004+01:002011-04-21T16:17:13.184+01:00Spot the difference?Gorgeous carpenter man spotted this last night as we endured 'Tonight's The Night' (The John Barrowman thing). In fact he did say 'Ratatouille' but I knew what he meant, and he nearly burst his stitches laughing - it was the idea of an ageing, golden rat gamely playing the piano, eager to be taken seriously that did it. Roffle, much!Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-11803736448905048222010-08-07T15:42:00.001+01:002010-08-07T15:44:38.965+01:00The Loneliness of the Long-Distance WriterOkay, here’s a little teaser for you:
What have Chopin, James Blunt, Rameses II, Kenneth Williams, Sheila Hancock, Arthur Schopenhauer, Bruce Forsyth and Me got in common?
That’s right. We were all born on the same day. And, for me, this has been my ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card for as long as I can remember. With a hand to the brow I have escaped many a sideways remark with my claim to arty Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-67666280034405796612010-08-05T17:07:00.003+01:002010-08-05T17:41:34.888+01:00This Year's HolidayThis is where we holidayed last year.
Il Borro in the beautiful Tuscan countryside. And it was pure five star plus luxury, right from the majestic villa (entrance top pic) to the fabulous family wedding we were a part of.
And although regulars will know of my 'realistic' outlook on most things, I actually had allowed myself a certain frisson of excitement leading up to this escape.
Which Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-53463748023009750672010-08-04T18:06:00.002+01:002011-04-21T16:10:51.783+01:00Apologies...As you can see, my methods of procrastination have no limits.... I cannot tell a lie, I have spent the majority of today on a faffing expedition of mammoth proportions.
Hence yet another new blog design.
But the other one was taking so long to load that even I was bored waiting.
So faffcrastination was the order of the day, of course, when I wasn't working out the UK/USA time difference and Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-14352770717649431532010-08-03T17:00:00.001+01:002011-04-21T16:19:44.374+01:00How to prepare for the Annual HolidaysThe Old Days
1. Make up enough sandwiches (ham/tomato, cheese/tomato) to feed a small continent.
2. Fill at least three thermos flasks with ready-made up coffee (so that in 4 hours it will taste of nothing but warm plasticky-metal), tea and very weak cheap squash of indeterminate flavour.
3. Strap Gerbils (in their cages I mean) to table leg in caravan to ensure stability – also empty their Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-25590385759662596402010-08-02T13:57:00.002+01:002010-08-10T16:02:04.255+01:00“PREP” by Curtis SittenfeldSo I finished this last night. And regular readers will know that I wasn’t exactly enjoying it. In fact if it hadn’t been a stipulation of the Transworld Summer Reading Challenge Rules that you have to read and review each book before you’re sent another, then I’d have flung this onto my pile of book ‘orphans’ days ago and read something more enjoyable instead.
I didn’t entirely connect with Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-76886452448665243552010-07-30T21:33:00.007+01:002011-04-21T16:17:38.332+01:00Effortless Energy Saving Tips!Tip #1
Let there be…Worried about things boiling over or turning into a plastic puddle in the microwave, but equally anxious about keeping a watchful eye on the cooking proceedings because of the 80’s warnings about microwave rays melting your brain? Then worry no longer, folks! Take out the lightbulb! (Or in our case, just forget to replace the one that stopped working). That way you need Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-16351939679714808642010-07-29T18:04:00.001+01:002011-04-21T16:20:20.555+01:00I have been watching... and reading... and buying...Toy Story 3 is a scream. And heart-tugging. And everything you'd expect from those fabulously clever Disney-Pixar people. Even the shortie film before the main feature was a blast - very reminiscent of the 'LSD-induced' dream sequence from Dumbo, I thought.
And I'm still torn between 2 favourite scenes: The Barbie-watching Ken model his wardrobe scene (nearly wet myself at this and wanted to Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-4896830430341183322010-07-28T11:21:00.002+01:002010-07-28T17:00:35.909+01:00This is where my baby is right now!How cool does this look, please?
And it's right down the road from the Clintons!
I'm just so happy that she's there and safe, that I sat and wept like a silly-head when I saw a pic of her and her b/f holding hands in the sea. Oh get a grip, woman, it's only been 36 frikkin' hours (not that I'm counting or anything)!
Oh, and if anyone wants to see what they're getting up to, the Girl and her Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-28087381284857406652010-07-27T14:23:00.002+01:002010-07-27T18:02:32.574+01:00Happy Ever AfterOnce upon a time there was a young girl with flowing locks of chestnut hair, a sprinkling of (okay then, she was covered in them) freckles, slender (alright, spindly) legs and dreamy eyes of cornflower blue (or “dishwater grey” as some kind person once conveyed). She lived in a town, not far away and whilst her wishes were simple, she was quite convinced that one day they (come on, at least ONE,Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-26390465083277790002010-07-26T18:01:00.000+01:002010-07-26T18:01:04.480+01:00Like what I've done to the place?I will be posting more, and more frequently, just as soon as the paint's dried and I've managed to get all the bubbles out of the new wallpaper. Now I just need a few interesting lamps and a couple of throws and we'll be all set... bear with me.
And don't forget, true perfection has to be imperfect.... a prize to anyone who can tell me who said/sang that!Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454291867854248886.post-72556982848287801772010-07-23T21:26:00.009+01:002010-07-26T22:22:12.233+01:00Here's what I've been doing...Just in case anyone's been wondering if I'm still in the land of the living... here's what I've been busy with...
The school stage had to be turned into a background scene for the summer production of Aladdin.... and even though there was ONE teeny tiny meltdown in my immediate vicinity (i.e. me) on just the one occasion, where I spent the entire day sobbing every time anybody dared to even Debs Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837598374947020855noreply@blogger.com3