Bethells Beach, Auckland

For the last little while I’ve been a little too ferocious with my To Do lists (because when I write them, I feel compelled to implement them). So I haven’t been able to enjoy any beach trips recently… besides, it’s super windy this spring. Sandblasted eyeballs anyone? No thanks!

Fortunately I have a stash of gorgeous beach photos saved on my trusty computer to enjoy. It means I can share a ‘virtual’ beach break with you – minus the sandblasting! 😉

This is a photo I took winter last year at Bethells Beach. That’s on the west coast of Auckland, where there’s black volcanic sand and big crashing waves… it’s gorgeously atmospheric!

Bethells Beach on Auckland's west coast has volcanic black sand... it's gorgeously moody and atmospheric.

Bethells Beach on Auckland’s west coast has volcanic black sand… it’s gorgeously moody and atmospheric.

 

This is exactly how the photo came out of the camera (all I did was add my signature and the black frame)… it really did look like that. *sigh!*

Must add to my To Do list: go to a beach! 😉

Till next time,

Love,

Andrea x

Cheltenham Beach, Auckland

I had a serious case of cabin fever over the weekend. The cure: a walk on a pretty beach, of course!

My man, my dog and I went to Cheltenham Beach on Auckland’s North Shore. It’s a quiet, suburban beach – no cafes or other distractions here.

Best of all, the sun shone and the east coast beach was sheltered from the howling nor-westerly.

Cheltenham Beach on Auckland's North Shore is a quiet, suburban beach.

Cheltenham Beach on Auckland’s North Shore is a quiet, suburban beach.

 

This might be one of our last daytime beach walks for a while (with the dog): over summer, dogs are banned from most Auckland beaches during the daytime. You can take them in the morning and evening – but who wants to sit in traffic to go to the beach? Not me! I’d rather walk locally in summer. 🙂

Till next time,

Love,

Andrea x

Spring has sprung!

Daisies!

I get so ridiculously excited when I see the first daisies in spring.

For me, daisies mean that summer is on the way. They take me back to those endless childhood summers of lying in grassy meadows with not a care in the world. Maybe I’d make a daisy chain if I felt industrious; maybe I’d just lie there, daydreaming, feeling pleasantly woozy under the influence of the sun’s speckled rays.

Spring has sprung, and the first daisies of the season are here already. That must mean that summer is on the way!

Spring has sprung, and the first daisies of the season are here already. That must mean that summer is on the way!

 

Here in New Zealand, Spring started on 1st September, and already the daisies are here.

Bring on summer – after all, it’s the best season for enjoying beaches and boating!

Till next time,

Love,

Andrea x

Just another Auckland evening

Yesterday evening I had to go to a function for my day job, and this was the view from the function venue… not bad, huh!

In Auckland you’re never far away from the sea. 🙂

Westhaven Marina and the Auckland Harbour Bridge in the evening... so pretty!

Westhaven Marina and the Auckland Harbour Bridge in the evening… so pretty!

 

That’s Westhaven Marina with the Auckland Harbour Bridge in the background… pretty!

Till next time,

Love,

Andrea x

What’s next? Read more cool bloggy stuff.

RWNZ 2012 Conference… wow!

Last weekend was the Romance Writers of New Zealand 2012 Conference, ‘Love Is In The Air’. It’s the first time I’ve been to anything like this, and oh my gosh, it was amazing!

For one thing, check out the huge book stash I took home…

My book stash from RWNZ 2012 Conference... I think it will take me till conference next year to read my way through this lot!

My book stash from RWNZ 2012 Conference… I think it will take me till conference next year to read my way through this lot!

 

That wasn’t the only thing I took home. The most valuable takeaway was all the learning and inspiration…

A big, huge, long, exciting post-conference To Do list!

A big, huge, long, exciting post-conference To Do list!

 

(It says in my bio that I’m a To Do list writer of some ferocity… I wasn’t kidding!)

It wasn’t all work work work. (C’mon, there were about 100+ female romance writers in one room! Cue lots of socialising!)

Here I am with a fellow writer at the Friday evening cocktail party:

Fellow romance writer, Toni Stephens, (left) and me... it looks like she's just told me something really smutty, eh! ;)

Fellow romance writer, Toni Stephens, (left) and me… it looks like she’s just told me something really smutty, eh! Probably because she did! 😉

(Photo used with kind permission of Ann Russell.)

Anyway, now I need to implement all the great ideas I wrote on my mega To Do list. Specifically, one of the action points is to submit a partial manuscript and synopsis to a big-name publishing house. Excited, much? You betcha!

Watch this space!

Till next time,

Love,

Andrea x

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