Related Posts with Thumbnails

Shibumi and a treat from Santa !!!!

30 October 2007 20 comments



My debonair friend Colin @ Life and Free PC Security has very graciously given me this very elegant award ....thank you very much Colin !!!!!
this award was given to Colin by Jesse

The ’shibumi’ award was originally created by Hawk and has a deep and profound meaning:

‘Shibumi is a Japanese term which used in the following context is a noun. Its meaning refers to a ‘particular aesthetic of simple, subtle, and
unobtrusive beauty” which can be applied to almost anything.’

I am passing this award onto these very elegant bloggers and bloggettes....

Saboma @ Maryannaville

Boyd @ Beautiful Explorations of Creative Passion

Diane @ Much of a Muchness

Cooper @ Wonderland or Not

and The Elf






this delightful award was given to me by Santa @ Santa's Community Blog to celebrate Halloween

and I am passing it on to

Ronnie @ I Set No Corner

Jen @ Super Fund Raiser

Christina @ Sir Paul McCartney & The Beatles

Comedy Plus

Renato @ Renato d'Oxaguiã

Read more....

Rankings and all things Aussie !!!!!!

28 October 2007 32 comments

Just recently I found out through the grapevine that laketrees is ranked
# 12 in the Top 50 Australian Women's Blogs






and # 70 in the top Top 100 Australian Blogs Index




This list of top Australian blogs was compiled by Meg Tsiamis,
who maintains Dipping into the Blogpond




The top 3 blogs on this list are:

# 1 PROBLOGGER
# 2 lifehack.org
# 3 FREELANCE SWITCH

# 23 on the list is
All for Women where I found the Top 50 Australian Women’s Blogs listed by Leigh (Founder/Owner/Admin/Blogger)



you can view the list here

The top 3 blogs on this list are:

# 1 iCiNG
# 2 Blogpond
# 3 SNIPPETS of LIFE

I saw some familiar blogs that I subscribe to:

# 4 - skelliewag ( a marvellous blog about all things minimalist and a daily read for me !!!)

# 7 - Life in the Country

# 10 - The Life of Riley is the "blob" all about Olive... the delightful lady who is 108 years old.... Olive's writer friend, Mike writes about Olive and has compiled a wonderful collection of videos of Olive at You Tube !!!!

# 23 - Sueblimely a fabulous blog to visit for all kinds of help with blogger and very nice to look at too !!!!

# 29 - Joh Blogs


an added bonus
while I was meandering around the blogOsphere I came across Page Rank Checker which has a free tool to check Google™ page ranking of any web site pages easily and to display your site's PageRank™ value on your web pages....
it was here that I found that my Google page rank is 4/10..... for laketrees and 4/10 for PoeARTica


Linky Love Jos Joh Cooper TorAa Big Cat Saboma from Maryannaville™ Leigh Diane Colin Life cruiser Pearl Deborah Lynda Boyd Fruity Sue Mihaela Colin Kelly

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Competitions galore !!!!

26 October 2007 7 comments



Want a $400 Portrait?

Yesterday Matt from CONTEST BEAT very kindly posted about
The Win a Free Portrait for Christmas that Santa and I are running......

Although I'm not one for entering competitions that much I was amazed at the amount of bloggers holding them......

Matt writes some terrific promotional pieces and you should pop over and check out some of the fantastic competitions that he is writing about.....

Recent posts include:

Party Like a Search Engine Rockstar
Quick Site Review for Some Possible Cash
Talk About a Trip, Win $500 Cash
Put Together 5 Words and Score $20
Give Some Advice, Get a MacBook

Featured Contests

The Easiest $100 You Might Win
Get Your Contest Featured Today!


Matt's 10 Blog Contest Tips and Why Run a Contest? are also well worth reading if you are considering holding your own competition......

Thanks very much Matt for your excellent promotion !!!!!



Linky Love Boyd Cooper Renny Cricket Videos

Read more....

A Career in Photography

25 October 2007 28 comments


"Duck" - double award winning photograph by Alexander Barker

My son Alexander has decided that he is going to be a Photographer...
He has decided to put the travelling on hold next year and enrol
at Ultimo College in Sydney.....he will be doing the following 2 courses
part time over four years...
He will being presenting a portfolio of 12 photos in February 2008...



Ultimo College offers an extensive range of courses including biomedical and applied sciences, business, advertising, architectural drafting, surveying, valuation, hospitality and travel, floristry, advertising, public relations, electrical and mechanical trades, welfare, photography, hairdressing and beauty therapy. Its English Language Centre provides English language training to thousands of international students each year. As the first college, established in 1891, Ultimo College has great historical significance, coupled with impressive purpose-built, state-of-the-art facilities.

Qualification: Certificate IV (NRT)
Training Package: CUV03 - Visual Arts, Craft and Design

National Code: CUV40403
Course No: 7539
Nominal Hours: 818
Vocational Area: Business Arts and Info Tech
Program Area: Fine Arts & Contemporary Crafts

This course trains you for work as a photographic assistant.
It gives you an understanding of the industry, introduces you
to new developments and techniques and gives you the skills
you need to work in the industry.

You will learn how to conceive and execute photographs to a professional
standard, to present and discuss your work and to be aware of the
occupational health and safety aspects of the photoimaging industry.

The course also gives you theoretical and practical training in the general
industrial, commercial and professional photoimaging. You learn about the
production of black and white and colour photographic images drawing on
elements of design and traditions of photography, digital image capture
and computer image management, camera techniques using a range of studio
and SLR camera systems, and lighting for both studio and location work.

You can expect to spend up to $2000 on an equipment kit and up to $1200 on
materials over the duration of the course.
Career Opportunities
Photographic assistant


You can do this course as part of a traineeship


Qualification: Diploma (NRT)

National Code: 90353NSW
Course No: 7512
Nominal Hours: 761
Vocational Area: Business Arts and Info Tech
Program Area: Fine Arts & Contemporary Crafts

This course is for people who want to become professional photographers or
to work in commercial photography areas.

It gives you a broad understanding of the industry, introduces you to new
developments in photographic techniques, and allows you to develop the key
competencies you need to work in the industry.

You will learn how to conceive and execute photographs to a professional
standard, to present and discuss your work and to be aware of the
occupational health and safety aspects of the photographic industry.

The course also gives you theoretical and practical (competency based)
training in the general industrial, commercial and professional
photographic field. You learn about the production of black and white and
colour photographic images as well as specific digital image techniques,
camera techniques, lighting, studio and location work, communication
skills, photographic mathematics and business skills.

You can expect to spend up to $2500 on an equipment kit and up to $3000 on
materials over the two years of the course.
Career Opportunities
Photographer, photographic assistant.

Articulation
When you finish this course you will have a high-quality portfolio which will
improve your chances of getting into the art photography strand of the Advanced Diploma of Fine Arts (7532). You may also get credit in the Advanced Diploma for some modules completed in this course.

Entry Requirements
Must have the Certificate III in Photography (7513), the Certificate IV in
Photoimaging (7539), or equivalent.
Note: Students are required to undertake a significant amount of practical
assignment work in their own time. It is therefore essential that students have
reliable access to a 35 mm single lens reflex camera or digital equivalent,
black and white film processing enlarging and printing facilities or digital
equipment and facilities to produce prints of at least 20 cm x 25 cm.








Linky Love Boyd Saboma Sue Lisa Todd Mark Lynda Rio Jos Diane Deborah

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Win a Free Portrait for Christmas # 2 !!!!!

22 October 2007 32 comments






In conjunction with Santa and Santa's Community blog my next competition will run until the 21st November....NOW EXTENDED TO THE 21ST DECEMBER !!!!

Here's what you need to do to win a portrait of your choice......



step 1

Enter Santa's competition called Christmas Past...
at
Santa' Elf Club Blog.

Email your photo and details to Santa here

don't forget to get all your friends to comment on your entry at Santa's blog

step 2

Pop back over here to tell me in 100 words or less your choice for the portrait...eg ...yourself...grandma....your child....great aunt Betty ....Fluffy the cat...etc...and why you deserve to win........you need to post your blurb in the comments section of this post to be eligible...
note... the free portrait is for one subject only (valued at $400)

step 3

The judge (TBA) will choose the winning entry at Santas and the best story here.....

The winner will be announced on 21st November...

So start getting out your photos of Christmas Past (or stories).....and start thinking about who you are going to choose for your free portrait......


Entries to Christmas Past:

Competition Entry # 1 Sisters Aged 2


Competition Entry # 2 Cotojo




Portrait value $400
(Postage Paid)
42cm x 60cm on Arches Paper



A big thank you to Matt at CONTEST BEAT
for promoting our competition here


thanks to the following for promoting the competition !!!!


# It’s beginning to look a blog like Christmas
# Blog Contest Central
# Magical Golden Portrait Contest
# Contest currently going on
# Get a Free Portrait At Santa's Elf Club Blog





and vote on WTF at Technorati !!!!



Linky Love: Boyd Diane Renny Colin Matthew Anita Santa Lynda Contest Beat Deborah MrPrizes.com - Your online guide through a fun and easy to use resource to win cash and prizes.

Read more....

Birthday Greetings !!!!!!

20 October 2007 18 comments

Olive Riley is having her 108th Birthday today!!!!
You can read Olive's remarkable stories and hear her singing her wonderful songs at her blog The Life of Riley

One of Olive's YouTube Videos

Olive Riley sings Smile, smile, smile






other videos of Olive:
Olive riley eats oysters with friend, Eric Shackle (From: Mike Rubbo)
The horse who drank beer (From: Mike Rubbo)
Olive Riley talks about fishing (From: Mike Rubbo)
Olive Riley admits not being computer literate (From: Mike Rubbo)
Olive sings Happy days (From: Mike Rubbo)




Portrait of Olive
by Vladimir Sobolev, a talented Russian portrait painter, known for his brilliant formal portraits.
see the full length portrait at Olive's blog

Wishing you the happiest of days today on your 108th birthday Olive.....


Message to my Canadian Readers....
Mike is looking for the kids doing kids’ movies in Canada in the late eighties with Rock Demers.
The kids who tried out for the movies are all grown up now. Mike is trying to find them, and give them a copy of their audition from long ago.
Mike's friend, Lois Siegel, who helped at the time, is standing by in Ottawa, ready to help.
You can see the photos at The Life of Riley......so pop over there and see if you can help out with the search....
and wish Olive a Happy Birthday......


Further Reading (Archives)

This documentary tells the story of 105-year-old Olive Riley, who has extraordinary vitality. Read more here

The world's oldest blogger
Olive Riley is 107 years old and could well be the oldest blogger in the world. Mike Rubbo is recording her stories and posting them on a web log........
read more here

Granny, 107, takes web by storm
AT 107 she is probably the world's older blogger and cyber granny Olive Riley may also lay claim to being the oldest YouTube user.
From her home on the Central Coast, the great-grandmother of seven files her The Life of Riley blog (or blob as she calls it), which has won her thousands of fans across the world....read more here


Olive Riley hits the web
AT 107 Olive Riley is probably the world's older blogger and YouTube user. Now the the Central Coast great-gran has thousands of fans across the world....read more here


You can view more Birthday Wishes for Olive at:

Maryannaville™
Wilson's Blogmanac
GO! Smell the flowers
Semantically driven
Life in the Fast Lane



Linky Love: Saboma Colin Adam Lynda Captain Lifecruiser Boyd Renny Jen Deborah Peter Christina Fruity

Read more....

Landscape # 2

19 October 2007 8 comments




I finally managed to get a photo of Alexander's other landscape that he painted for the HSC........his concept was the environment and pollution....
location ..our other view...looking at the beach....


Landscape # 1


Linky Love: Art of Passion and Emotion Diane Sue Lisa

Read more....

Is your child an on-line porn consumer?

18 October 2007 16 comments



Action:

Write a letter to the adult site websmasters. You can use your own words, or post the official Blogger Power letter below.

Please require a password-protected login before allowing even free access to explicit adult content. We understand that selling porn is your business and we respect your right to make a legal living. But understand our legitimate concerns and work with us. You already have the “warning adult content” on your websites. Yet kids, who are not legal customers of your product, ignore the warning. So to prevent them from having direct access to explicit images, texts and sounds, the simplest way is to have a password-protected login. No more “free tours” before a visitor supplies basic information.




Open Letter to diggers. Digg this to the frontpage and make Adult sites Webmasters put a password-protected login to prevent small kids from having direct access to extreme pornographic images. I WANT to see DIGG COMMUNITY in action. Share your thoughts.

read more digg story

thanks to Mihaela for bringing this to my attention at:
Blogger Power Still Echoes in Our Hearts


Digg Love Saboma Ashley Mihaela Slevin Boyd Colin Jace

Read more....

Blogging that hits the mark...

17 October 2007 32 comments



Speedcat Hollydale Page has given me this great award
Speedcat received the award fromThe Genie King, Adrian Homer First Time Dad......
I first saw this award over at Diane's blog Much of a Muchness and was going to steal it....but now I don't have to...I am passing the award onto 5 blogs that I have relied on for all things technical:



Dummies Guide to Google Blogger (Beta)
Vin....who I regard as the Guru of Bloggers and he even has his own 10 Commandments for Bloggers to subscribe to !!!!


Maryannaville&trade
I know Mary Ann doesn't focus on the technical side of blogging but she has sure done a wonderful job helping me out with the technical side of blogger.


Sueblimely - Discovering Blogging
Help, tools, new resources, tutorials and tips for bloggers.
I'm hoping to follow Sue's lead when she makes her exodus to Wordpress.



Blogger Tips and Tricks
Tips and tricks for those using Blogger (blogspot) for their blogs. Many tips are also relevant for those using other blogging services.


Blogger Buster
Helping you make the most of your Blogger blog...
Blogger Buster is dedicated to enhancing the experience of Blogger users. Here you will discover Blogger tutorials, free templates and blogging tools to help you make the most out of your blog.




ps
I don't know whether any one has noticed my linky love....this will have to be a random thing for now.....Wordpress users are lucky to have this as an automatic plugin....but the poor bloggers don't have the equivalent.....

Read more....

Portrait of Diane

16 October 2007 29 comments


Diane
Graphite. Gouache, Pastel and Charcoal on Arches Paper
42cm x 60 cm



crop

One of the winners of my last competition -
Win a Free Portrait for Christmas...was
Diane @ Much of a muchness
I had quite a range of photos to choose from ...thanks Diane......
I decided to go for a serious look because it emphasised her beautiful eyes....


click on the image to see a larger version

Win a Free Portrait for Christmas !!!!


Linky Love: Diane Pearl Loz Canucklehead Sue Kuanyin, Chessnoid Deborah Renny Lisa Boyd Ev Cooper Lynda Speedcat

Read more....

Overpopulation

15 October 2007 14 comments


Urban Warfare - 2003
Acrylic and Jute on Canvas
Kim Barker



Australia

Some members of the Australian environmental movement, notably the organisation Sustainable Population Australia, believe that as the driest inhabited continent, Australia cannot continue to sustain its current rate of population growth without becoming overpopulated. The UK-based Optimum Population Trust supports the view that Australia is overpopulated, and believes that to maintain the current standard of living in Australia, the optimum population is 10 million (rather than the present 20.86 million), or 21 million with a reduced standard of living.

Effects of overpopulation
Some problems associated with or exacerbated by human overpopulation:


Inadequate fresh water for drinking water use as well as sewage treatment and effluent discharge. Some countries, like Saudi Arabia, use energy-expensive desalination to solve the problem of water shortages.

Depletion of natural resources, especially fossil fuels

Increased levels of air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination and noise pollution. Once a country has industrialized and become wealthy, a combination of government regulation and technological innovation causes pollution to decline substantially, even as the population continues to grow.

The chronic inability of many of these countries to escape from the "Malthusian trap" via economic growth exceeding population growth. Many Third World countries simply lack the economic or infrastructural base to provide a rising standard of living for most of their people, especially in Africa, the Arab world, and parts of Latin America.

Deforestation and loss of ecosystems that sustain global atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide balance; about eight million hectares of forest are lost each year.

Changes in atmospheric composition and consequent global warming

Irreversible loss of arable land and increases in desertification Deforestation and desertification can be reversed by adopting property rights, and this policy is successful even while the human population continues to grow.

Illegal (and legal) immigration to the developed world on an unprecedented scale, creating an unprecedented demographic and political problem in Europe and the United States. Even the controlled and legal migration of talented and well-educated people from the Third World to the developed world denudes it of its limited skills base.

Mass species extinctions from reduced habitat in tropical forests due to slash-and-burn techniques that sometimes are practised by shifting cultivators, especially in countries with rapidly expanding rural populations; present extinction rates may be as high as 140,000 species lost per year. The IUCN Red List lists a total of 698 animal species having gone extinct during recorded human history.

High infant and child mortality. High rates of infant mortality are caused by poverty. Rich countries with high population densities have low rates of infant mortality.

Increased incidence of hemorrhagic fevers and other infectious diseases from crowding, lack of adequate sanitation and clean portable water, and scarcity of available medical resources.

Starvation, malnutrition or poor diet with ill health and diet-deficiency diseases (e.g. rickets). Famine is aggravated by poverty. Rich countries with high population densities do not have famine.

Poverty coupled with inflation in some regions and a resulting low level of capital formation. Poverty and inflation are aggravated by bad government and bad economic policies. Many countries with high population densities have eliminated absolute poverty and keep their inflation rates very low.

Low birth weight due to the inability of mothers to get enough resources to sustain a fetus from fertilization to birth

Low life expectancy in countries with fastest growing populations
Unhygienic living conditions for many based upon water resource depletion, discharge of raw sewage and solid waste disposal

Elevated crime rate due to drug cartels and increased theft by people stealing resources to survive

Conflict over scarce resources and crowding, leading to increased levels of warfare

Over-utilization of infrastructure, such as mass transit, highways, and public health systems

Higher land prices





In 1729, Jonathan Swift wrote the satirical essay A Modest Proposal where he suggests one solution for both the problem of overpopulation and the growing numbers of undernourished people in Ireland: cannibalism, particularly the raising of infants as food



Source: Wikipedia













Linky Love: Boyd, Renny, Deborah, Fruity, Lisa, Lynda, Graham

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Thank you

14 October 2007 7 comments


to Deborah @ the home of the Blog Fairy....She Walks in Beauty

The Blog Fairy and her beloved partners Lyn and Deborah post about beautiful people doing beautiful things, the beauty that surrounds us in our world, and help us discover the beauty that is in all of us. The very special Blog Fairy Awards are also given out there.

Deborah was kind enough to include my blog in her featured blogs with a beautiful snapshot of me and my work.....thank you again Deborah....

You can read the article at She Walks in Beauty here



I would also like to thank my good friend Deborah @ Life in the Fast Lane for providing part of her wonderful profile of me for the article at She Walks in Beauty......

Deborah's full profile of me here

Read more....

Alexander WIP

11 October 2007 18 comments





I have finally got back to working on Alexander's portrait......
and I've gone back to a white background !!!!
Still a long way to go !!!

Click here to view the full WIP

Read more....

Enthusiasm makes the difference

10 October 2007 7 comments

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket



Bruno Cote is one of the more successful painters living in Baie-Saint-Paul--in all of Canada for that matter. The first thing you notice on entering his studio is the cleanliness and lack of clutter. Further, he has only two small windows, and on those the blinds are drawn. Bruno, 67, told me he learned the hard way that he doesn't need distractions.

Working on thin panels of Masonite or hardboard, he archives large numbers of paintings vertically in a relatively small space. Panels for field sketches have wide edges for holding at arm's length. He has a separate drying room for oils. "I found out oil is at its most dangerous when it is giving off fumes while drying, not while painting," he tells me. Two months ago he started working in acrylic, "for the first time in my life--I like it, it works fine," he says. Bruno is a big, jolly fellow who laughs a lot and speaks with a strong Quebecois accent.

The studio is on two levels, one an afterthought of the other. The lower area contains the workstation and easel. A wide table sits in front of the easel, all but preventing close work that might interfere with his exuberant, wet-in-wet style.

The table contains a two-dozen-sized muffin pan loaded with pure out-of-the-tube acrylics. Around the edge of this pan Bruno has a homemade rubber gasket on which a heavy piece of transparent plastic can be placed. A few squirts from a spritzer and "it's good for a week," he says. So you can get an idea of Bruno's work and studio, we've included photos at the top of the current clickback. See URL below.

In the middle of the easel and rising up behind it is a
brightly painted board with the cryptic letters "EMTD" at the top. It stands for "Enthusiasm Makes the Difference," the title of a book by Norman Vincent Peale that Bruno read when he was young. "It changed my life," says Bruno. EMTD is more than Bruno's motto, it's his primal force and method of living.
I ask him how he gets enthusiastic when he isn't feeling it. "It builds up," he says. "If you don't work for a while, then you need to and you do it. I come in here and go for it. I work myself up. I work very, very fast and get a lot done for every blast. If you're not enthusiastic, it's no good."

"All I need is the idea I can get in the sketch; then I can
make it bigger."



Esoterica: Like a lot of fine artists, Bruno comes from a sign-painter background. He has the worker's edge, and his mind isn't cluttered with rationalizations or pretense. A direct problem-solver, he has systematically mastered the mysteries of colour. Monochromatic and analogous schemes vie with the complementary, while bravura brushwork dictates energetic skies and noisy, active watercourses. Bruno has never taken a formal lesson, nor has he taught. "I can't teach it," he says, "because I go by instinct."

If you would like to see selected, illustrated responses to the last letter, "Conservative tendencies," a look into the creative microcosm of Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec, as well as work systems in the Bruno Cote studio, please click here

(c) Copyright 2007 Robert Genn @ The Painter's Keys

Read more....

Blog Action Day

9 October 2007 10 comments

BLOGGERS TO UNITE ON BLOG ACTION DAY




All Blogs Invited to Take Part in Joining Voices to Help Environment
An international initiative of bloggers known as "Blog Action Day" launched today, with the aim of uniting thousands of blogging voices, talking about one issue for one day. This year on Blog Action Day, which is slated for Oct. 15, 2007, bloggers will be discussing the environment.

Major blogs have signed up to participate, including Lifehacker, Dumb Little Man, Lifehack.org, Get Rich Slowly, Web Worker Daily, GigaOm, The Simple Dollar, Zen Habits, Freelance Switch, LifeClever, Unclutterer, Pronet Advertising, Wise Bread and many more.



"For just one day, we'd like to unite as many of the millions of bloggers around the world and speak about one issue - the environment," said Collis Ta'eed, an Australian blogger from FreelanceSwitch.com, and a cofounder of Blog Action Day. "We want to display the potential and the power of the blogging community, which is a disparate community but one with an amazing size, breadth and diversity. By bringing everyone together for one day, we can see just how much can be achieved, and how much we can be heard."


Blog Action Day is a non-profit initiative, and will be an annual event. As an alternative to blogging about the environment on Blog Action Day, bloggers can opt to participate by donating their blog's proceeds from Oct. 15 to one of several environmental organizations chosen for this purpose: Greenpeace International, The Nature Conservancy, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), the Conservation Fund, and the Sierra Club.

Bloggers who would like to participate in Blog Action Day should visit BlogActionDay.org or email Collis Ta'eed at collis@eden.cc, so they can be listed on the Blog Action Day site. To participate, a blog just needs to write about the issue of the environment on Oct. 15, 2007, or donate its proceeds for the day to one of the chosen environmental organizations.


Read more....

Blogger versus Wordpress

7 October 2007 17 comments





I have two blogs with Blogspot....and I thought that I might try Wordpress for my new blog called get painted!!!!

I found the set up fairly easy and after selecting a template from the great range available.... I designed the title page ...an about page......and added four pages..

I'm rather pleased with the result....and I'm looking forward to using it as my online gallery.....to showcase about 40 of my artworks.....

Read more....

HSC time...

5 October 2007 12 comments





My son Alexander...has completed two landscapes for his year 12 major work.....
this is the first one......

Read more....

“Free Burma!”

4 October 2007 7 comments



Free Burma!
International Bloggers' Day for Burma on the 4th of October

Read more....

The Meme to end all Memes

2 October 2007 20 comments



OK...I have been tagged with quite a number of memes this week...so this is going to be one very long post...


Collectively Written Christmas Meme # 1.

Here are the rules:


The first group of bloggers that are tagged below will add 2 lines to the first text line that is provided. In those added lines, one word will have to be hyperlinked to their own blog, and their post will have to include a link to Santa's Community Blog.
Please include line numbers, and please also include a call to all bloggers to join Santa's Community here on MyBlogLog!

Then tag 5 more bloggers (picking existing members of the "Santa's Community Blog" community would be a good start), who will add their next 2 lines, and they tag another 5 more bloggers, etc. etc.

You can turn the text after the first line into a Christmas Short Story, a Poem, a Carol, whatever you feel like doing. When the text has reached 21 lines, you are asked to submit the story. You can do that by leaving a comment to this message, with a link to your own post. We will select the best, nicest, warmest, funniest Collectively Written Christmas Stories and publish them here on Santa's Community Blog.

Santa's Community Blog Collective Christmas Meme
1- The day before Christmas a young little girl
2- named Kim (after Rudyard Kiplings' Kim)
3- decided to go on a picnic with her very good friends

Lisa, Saboma, Deborah, Sue , Diane , Pearl and the Blog Elf
4-
5-
(etc.)


The first bloggers that are tagged are:
all members of the Santa Certified Award Hall of Fame

Magical golden Cat
Mike from Ordinary Folk
Tish from
The Kat House
Cotojo from
Life
Bob from
Bobbarama
Deborah from
Climate of our Future
Marzi from
Mariuca
Emila from
Emila's Illustrated blog
Adrian from
First Time Dad
Christy from
Christy's Coffee Break
Andrew from
Hotel Booking Pro
Christine from
The Sapheyerblu Review
Kim from
PurpleFrogCat
Zubli from
the Book Project
Janice from
This is a Miracle
Sophie from
WeWe_WetWet
Catherine from
A Week in the Life of a Redhead
Lynda (ljw) from
Lynda's Loft
Lili from
Feel Happy
Surjit from
gurushabad
ArahMan from
My Journey to Recovery
Bobby from
Revellian
JohnC from
Homeless Family's Blog
Sandy from
At Your Service
Kim from
Laketrees
Jeane Michelle Culp from
Nomdeplume the Poetress
Judy from
SugarQueenDream
Gracie Belle theblogfairy from
She Walks in Beauty
Kuanyin from
Blog-Blonde
Ev Nucci from My Life is Murphy's Law
Jo from
Life with Heathens
Nick from
Anything Goes
Andrea from
A Circle of Women
Ann from
A Nice Place in the Sun
Jackie (Shinade) from
The Painted Veil
Paula from
Polliwog's Pond
Joey from
Hearts a Fire
Lisa from
Work at Home Mom Revolution
Brown Baron from
Brown Thoughts
Maartje from
Behind the Page
Jos from
NoDirectOn (not: NoDirection)
Tyro Pearl from
Interesting Observations
Janice from
Twist and Skewer
Michelle Dyer from
Michelle Dyer's Writing Circle
Eric from SpeedCatHollydale
Diane (DCA) from Much of a Muchness
Robyn (Healing Words) from The Spirit knows Best
Lynn from Recipes
The Blog Elf from Elf Patrol
Deborah at FastFastLane
Sandee from Comedy Plus
Adria at Incinq
and I am tagging:
# 2.


I have been tagged by the Magnificent Mighty Morgan @ The process of a miracle..the next steps. who was tagged by Rolando from Rplayground, who was tagged by Erina author of the blog Into the Inkpot with the following meme regarding English weaknesses. These are her exact words:

To play this game, all you must do is explain what your most common writing mistake is. Then, you simply tag five individuals for the meme. Those five people will, in return, tag five more people. Ultimately, readers should see a tapestry of common grammar and spelling mistakes. Therefore, anyone that is feeling ashamed of their errors will feel a bit more confident and secure.

and my spelling mistakes ????

I don't make any common spelling mistakes..... 100% in spelling all the way through school......however I do have an aversion to Capital Letters and Sentence Structure...hence the dots...after most phrases and sentences.....

I would like to tag these super duper writers:

Colin @ Life

Barrett @ Huma B~ Post

Mark @ What's wrong with me ???

Franco @ Mind Body Spirit and Fluttering Thoughts

Renny @ RennyBA's Terella


# 3.

I have been tagged by Joy @ The Insane Writer for:

10 Random Facts

The Rules of this tag:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. List ten (10) random facts about yourself.
3. Tag eleven people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. These eleven persons would have to tag 12 people.
5. You could also tag back, if desperate !
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs.

The Random Facts:
I'm not writing about me this time......
I am going to write about the pets that I have had.....


1. Goldie.....our first family pet.....a placid lovable cross labrador/corgi
2. A nameless kitten that I brought home from school when I was 4 years old
3. Shah....an unbelievably stupid Afghan dog that was given to me on my 21st birthday
4. A golfish called Cleo
5. A goldfish called Goldie (named in memory of our dear dog)
6. A budgie called Simpson (named after a washing machine brand)...
who unfortunately drowned in the golfish bowl...(true story)
7. A cockatoo called Parrot (who thought he was a parrot)
8. A blue tongued lizard called Lizzie
9. Numerous possums
10. and last but not least our very special kookaburras... (not really our pets...but frequent visitors)

I would like to tag:



Boyd @ Beautiful Explorations of Creative Passion

Joh @ Joh Blogs

Christy @ Christy's Coffee Break

Zubli @ Who Is Zubli Zainordin



Read more....

About The Author
Kim Barker is a Visual Artist (Diploma in Art and Graduate Diploma in Education). She is also a fully trained Reading Recovery Teacher. She has taught RAD (Royal Academy of Dancing) and Cecchetti Ballet Syllabii. Kim also manages the Top Artist' Directory and PoeARTica as well as her blog laketrees She lives with her family on the Eastern Central Coast of Australia. Follow Kim at laketrees on Twitter for updates and news