Writing retreat

I've been in a writing doldrums for the past few weeks. Summer has kicked in full swing, and my free time for actual words-on-the-page writing has dwindled to next to nothing. Swimming lessons, horse shows, barbeques, camps and just plain work have taken over.

Vicki (@Morrisonminutes) and I on a break.

A few weeks ago, my writing buddy and I were discussing the need to write without interruption, and came up with this: we needed a retreat. Sadly, neither of us have the vacation time (or the extra funds) for an all-out retreat to the Caribbean, so we planned a one day writing bonanza. A mini-retreat. A get away with our laptops and a quiet space (her office, which is closed on Saturdays) with some coffees and snacks and freedom to think.

So now here I sit, after a day with a good friend, my laptop and my story, after writing away for a WHOLE DAY. Amazing.

2100 words,  twenty pages of editing, a blog post and several cups of coffee later, and I feel refreshed. Organized. Ready to rock.

What a great day! Just what the editor ordered. :)

We'll be repeating this adventure soon. What about you? How do you find the time to write when things get busy? Leave me a comment below. I'd love to hear!

Brenda

Tropical Tuesday: Tir na N'og

The beach at Tir na N'og

 

I have just come in from 10 minutes weeding in the front garden and I am SO COLD. It's 50 F out there and it's more than half way through JUNE. This is wrong. I have SOCKS on. And a sweater and long pants and I'm drinking a hot coffee (what else?) and I'm still freezing. And my son, God bless him, is off on a school field trip to an outdoor water park! Insanity.


In light of this unseasonably chilly Canadian weather, I feel the need to revisit Tropical Tuesday, so I thought I'd find somewhere warm and balmy that I could day dream about as I go about my daily adventures.

THIS PLACE.

Seriously. Ten acres of Bahamian tropical paradise, separate guest houses, pink sand beaches, tennis courts and a name like Tir na N'og? Yeah. Sign me up. I think this is the place for my next writer's retreat. Or family retreat. Or ladies week away. Or launch party...

The 'Main House'

I can almost feel my toes in the sand now. Wait a minute. That's the cat. Sigh.

Anyway, it's a steal at $6k a week, don't you think? Maybe the owner would cut me a deal. Do you feel warmer already?

Have a great day,

Brenda

Tropical Tuesday- Paradise Beach

If you Google Search 'Paradise Beach', you'll get almost 60 million results. There are Paradise Beaches in Cozumel, Mykonos, Barbados, Thailand...just about anywhere you can find a beach you can find one that is called 'Paradise'. There's even a Paradise in Newfoundland, although I really wouldn't want to hang out there in the winter and it doesn't have a great beach. (Sorry guys, but this is a Tropical Tuesday blog!)

So I checked out a few of them. I've been to the one in Mykonos. Lovely, but not my choice for late February. And Barbados looks amazing, especially without a current huge conglomerate resort to take over the prime beach area (although there is one set to open soon...)

My favorite of all was this place: Paradise Beach Mauritius. (click on the link to see the apartment/villa resort)

Photo from Paradise Beach

Um, yeah.

Paradise Beach Apartments

Not bad. Not bad at all. I think another great choice for a writer's retreat! I didn't even look at how much it would cost to go there, but hey...getting to Paradise shouldn't be easy.

Have a great week!

Brenda

Tropical Tuesday

(L to R) Me, Yelena, Tina

What a great week I've had! Broadway plays, jazz clubs, shopping, visits...New York was a blast. Still thrilled to have met Jennifer and Fran, and also got to meet writer friends Tina Moss and Yelena Casale, as well as my amazing cousins Robin and Corey. So fun! My feet are still complaining, and I might have put on a few travel pounds sampling restaurants with my hubby (Spanish Tapas on the last night just about did me in), but I had a great time. Can't wait to go back again.



After an amazing, if somewhat chilly, trip to New York City, I've returned to even chillier Canada. It's COLD here. And Spring is months away, *sad face* so I've been day-dreaming and looking at more tropical beaches just for fun. I thought I'd post a wee Tropical Tuesday to tease you...and torment me!


 

Picture from Wikipedia

One of the most amazing places I've been fortunate enough to visit (other than New York City this past week...) was the tiny island of Rarotonga, in the warm and beautiful south Pacific. Part of the Cook Islands, it is almost completely surrounded by beaches, and at the time (a, ah-hem, few years ago) it was relatively unspoiled. We stayed in what was then called the Rarotongan Resort Hotel, but from what I can see, it's now called the Rarotongan Beach Resort and Spa. (click on the link for more pictures of the beaches and water...)It was a simple place, but the beaches were clean, clear and gorgeous. We ate octopus (ick), fresh coconut (yum) and explored the island on scooters.

Picture from Cook Islands Discovery Tours

And it was WARM. So amazingly warm. Wouldn't you like to go there? I think it has great potential for my next writer's retreat. Who's in? Maybe if we sign enough of us up, they'll give us a discount?

Brenda