Hiya!

Hope all of you are doing well. I know, I know I am naughty this should have gone out yesterday… But I went out :O I know!

 

Well… Whats been happening this month?

I’ve been procrastinating even more. I have a lot to do, the worst part is I don’t know how or when I will get it done.

I have managed to start doing some degree of editing/writing this month, not as much as I would like but it is all slow progress. A change in postcode has meant settling in has been the main priority.

I’ve almost learned my first song on guitar, I chose to learn “Nightingale” by Demi Lovato. I thought it would be nice and easy… Turns out my fingers don’t agree… I am learning though.

I have to say, the highlight of this month? No it wasn’t the food festival, it was seeing my bestie Harry and his mum. It was great to hang out with fellow writers and bounce ideas about improving the work and the ideas around writing. It created a good degree of momentum for knowing what I want to do.

We went to this place called Dotty’s Tearoom. MY gosh it was cute! And I felt like a lady, which for me, we all know isn’t the traditional association for me.

I am still developing a massive idea that has plagued me the last 6 years. I thought I had reached the point where I felt ready to write the first segment of the story… oh boy was I wrong. The overall arch has grown, I feel like I have plotted a drop in the ocean. Yup, that is exactly how it feels.

Oh I’ve also been working on some lyrics.

Been chatting to a few awesome people, having a little social life as I adjust.

Sadly not finished any knitting projects recently. Maybe in time.

Trying to find a way to be effective and proactive and not at all procrastinate from writing.

Oh I brought two new books I have promised myself I am allowed to read only if I finish editing the current thing on my edit tray. I should really work on splitting that reward into two so that I get even more motivation to pursue the next idea I have for here. I’m getting there though. However slowly.

But it is getting better.

I apologies for the late release of this months author update.

May luck and adventure be on your side!

ARA xxx

Hiya!

It’s another short update this month, sorry guys. There’s not much to tell.

I am still not very well so I can’t write this indefinitely, or as long as I would like.

Not too much is happening. I’ve not been able to do much, not done any apprenticeship coursework, feeling this rough isn’t great at all.

It was my birthday as you know. I am now another year older, getting a bit wiser.

I have been very lucky to have very awesome family and friends.

 

I hope you are all enjoying Counting Corvids so far. It wasn’t always the most comfortable fun thing for me to write, re-write and edit.

I am starting to think a little bit about what happens when Counting Corvids is all done and finished. But, there are a few more chapters to go yet… so lets have some fun with it now.

Sorry this update is shorter than the last, there is not much going on that I can write about on here. Not yet anyway.

May luck and adventure be on your side!

ARA xxx

Well it is my birthday. And it is a real question.

Did I get wiser since last year?

Well I have healed my belly button piercing at last! After all the issues with it getting knocked then trying to swallow the bar… was very grim there for a while. But it is at last healed!

Oh yeah I have more ink.

Down to one dog. my old boy went to sleep for good last winter. Bless his old soul. Such a wonderful boy, taught me so much about being happy and goofy. And with my spotty little hyper git snoozing by my feet at the moment just waiting to mess around I have learned true unconditional love. And happiness. He is such a joy, I am blessed to still have him. Both sadness and joy in a few sentences but filled with love and affection.

Well I got an apprenticeship and learned what I do and don’t want to do with my life. I am happier for that understanding of self and my nature which I better understand and appreciate. I am less willing to try and fit in some kind of box.

My rebellious spirit is back. Back to being a fiery blaze of energy. I am even learning to focus better. I cant wait to see what I learn in the coming year.

As I mentioned before, I have quite an excited grounding level of energy. I am very much more positively looking at the now and the future. I wouldn’t say that I haven’t struggled but I am facing the struggle in a stronger way from a positive source of energy…

I hope this learning guitar continues on. I like creative energy and the freedom that comes with doing what I want.

As I am sure you have noticed, I do like to test and torture my characters a bit and see what they are made of..

I wonder what more I will write this year?

As you probably know I am still hunting for a literary agent/publisher for some other work that I have done.

I am also getting quite excited for summer even though that means my eyes will be a bit more sensitive to sunlight and I will probably have a bit of a migraine a lot of the time. But for me this summer coming represents freedom for creativity. I discovered the year just passed that the creative time is something I really cannot sacrifice, simply for the sake of my happiness. I am very much a head in the clouds dreamer and learning a business approach to life is both a good and bad thing. But hey I am hoping to use the lessons I have learned.

Not long now until that freedom for creativity will begin.

I have spent the year effectively and essentially single. Though it has done me no harm so thumbs up there. Although I have learned so much from being single. I don’t think my motivations, my energies and my pursuit of positiveness and happiness would have been as effective if that was not the case. This year was the year I rebuilt myself.

I hadn’t realised just how broken hearted I was, or that loving someone who broke your heart, how still loving that person and knowing that the person you have become from loving someone who caused so much pain changes you. So to clarify, yes I still love that person. But the pain of heartbreak is subsiding. It would never be like it was, because I can’t be who I was.

I know now, that the person I have become I owe to them, good and bad, but still with love. But now? What does the future hold for that avenue? I can’t say I know the answer (I do know my answer), but I do know “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” I do dwell on dreams, because I write them, I write the stories of dragons and bizarre creatures and strange people. I do that. But I now know better than to dwell on something out of my control.

My focus for sometime has been adjusted, I have developed mantras for myself, calming and soothing words that propel me forward onto what it is I need to focus upon, everything but that. I cant focus on the love, or the faded pain of heartbreak or what I wish I could change or could have changed. The focus I am trying to change is an alteration of my vibration. That is not to say, that if things changed, if a chance or opportunity should arise, that is to say, should the question be asked, the answer may not, most likely will not be no. (No wonder I cannot be read like I can read another.) I can’t change the past, but the future, that is still such a wonderful opportunity. Not everything is as doomed as some would have you believe. But it never means it would be the same. People do change. I hope I have changed for the better? The positivity that I am trying to bring, the change in vibration, in what I want to attract into my life and dreams and chances, there is so much excitement for a wind of chance.

I sound so hippy right? I should add in an extra “who knows what the future holds?”

But it is true. Since my last birthday: I got an apprenticeship, I learned the value of focusing thoughts and positive thinking, I focused my writing, my attention altered. And now? So have my friendships, my goals and my perspectives. I am more focused on writing and making it a very key feature in my life. I am certainly less love interest orientated. My mantras that I mentioned I picked up from listening to Abraham Hicks occasionally. They are: I am worthy, everything is always working out for me, I am happy that… I am grateful for… It feels good that…

It seems simple doesn’t it? It is something I am still working on one step at a time. I am sure that this is not the last time I will write about the whole notion of positive thinking. It is bloody hard, but when it works it feels good. When things just feel magical and right and natural it feels good.

I don’t mean to talk in riddles. I am just reflective in a non linear fashion.

I have probably spoken a little too much, and revealed a little too much of the private side to myself, the part that stays part of hushed conversations between my best friend and myself over a drink and a chat. Perhaps that is both a good and bad thing.

Anyway. I just want to say thank you for your support and continued reading.

May luck and adventure be on your side!

ARA x x x

Hiya!

 

It will be a short one this month, not because a lack of update or interest but because I am not feeling too bright.

This month has been a bit of a weird one. Got new work from the assessor to be doing. But the biggest news this month has been that the last 2 weeks I haven’t been too well. The doctor said I have inflamed ribs. They aren’t improving, if anything it feels like the opposite. I have had a change in medication and an X ray so hopefully we can find out the why and what next soon!

Pain and injury aside, its been a good month, a lot of emotional progress.

There has been a little frustration going around, mainly due to deadlines or side effects but all in all I have learned more about myself in the last month or so.

I have done a bit of reading, not sure if I mentioned but I have been reading the Game of Thrones books, I think they are bloody well written and I can’t wait to read more.

I suspect that this year is flying by for a reason, as soon as I know what and why I will let you know.

My learning guitar has slowed right down this month, mainly due to the rib issues.

I am very fortunate to have friends that keep me entertained. And listening to a few Abraham Hicks rampages has stopped my cabin fever a fair bit.

I know that this is going out on Easter Sunday so I want to wish you all a very happy and peaceful Easter.

Like I mentioned this is a short update. There is a lot I wish I had the time and energy to write and say now, especially writing, but for the moment I will let the story continue on here a bit more.

I hope you are all enjoying Counting Corvids so far.

 

May luck and adventure be on your side!

ARA xxx

WELL, as per tradition its the last Sunday of the month. Albeit a new tradition. And on the last Sunday of the month comes an author update. It occurred to me I should probably put the month in the title so I knew what it was… OOPS!

Anyway! This month, well its been its own different kind of special. Very roller coaster. Emotionally its been an up and down month. Of course a few may be aware that this month last year I was in the process of a rather brutal break up that pretty much broke my heart. So of course this year I have been quite reflective. Though it seems the heartbreak was worth it. It changed me for the better a  lot. I feel evermore determined and less willing to settle.

Of course I will probably expand more on the past year on my birthday as an as a whole another year older what has made me wiser kind of thing. But I will probably just be very happy for the day off of work.

I’ve been reading still this month of course! I’m still muddling through the GOT series. It’s pretty good… she says trying not to sound impressed. The techniques are quite interesting.

Oh and this month I decided to add a new thing to my ridiculously over crowded schedule… I am attempting to learn guitar. Though my fingers are still baby soft. I wonder if I will miss that when I learn it enough to be able to play? Probably. I need to practice more than the once or twice a week chance  I have done the last 3/4 weeks. I want to try to do something on learning maybe once a day even if its theory?

This month my assessor on my apprenticeship changed so will see how this goes. Not long left.

This week Someone asked how arappleby.com is doing readership wise, I did shrug I honestly don’t really look much at my stats. I probably should keep an eye on it. But I did have a quick look at my stats today and notifications on here. But I did see that I have a few new followers I would love to say a very big hello and thank you! And a big thank you to all those who read the site. I do appreciate you taking the time to have a look.

Other weird stuff this month?

Well I did have some social time this month. I went out for an evening with my bro Harry. We went to a local songwriters corner event at the local pub at the weekend… It was bloody interesting. It was more a social event for me so I played cards with Harry while we listened. There was a lot of learning going on for me as I watched from the corner of my eye. So I guess I didn’t really have the time “off” of working. It seems to be that I am constantly doing something. So anyway, I learned a lot about perception. How important it is to utilize the talent at your disposal and how important loving whatever you are doing has to be. I noticed that a few of the artists, there was little differentiation between songs, something I wasn’t the only one to notice. I learned a lot and I do appreciate it and the evening. I loved hanging out with Harry again for a while. It was a great catch up.

More weird stuff?

I feel even more proactive even though I often feel like I am being lazy or slacking off. Whether its that I am watching tv or reading; I seem to forget or neglect that I am still working because I am analyzing the presentation of the storylines and the tactics being used as well as just enjoying the stretching of the imagination. Now as I listen to music I seem to do once for enjoyment, again for lyrics, again for melody, again for song build up and structure. It’s all strange like I am playing with building blocks with my imagination trying to understand things. I think that learning bug is taking over.

I am so excited and its not for something specific. I just seem to be especially excited like I can feel something coming. It’s all good whatever it is. I am just very ready and excited… Just want to know what the feeling is for… Not that I don’t appreciate it.

 

May luck and adventure be on your side!

 

ARA xxx