the write choice

I have, for a long time, had an urge to write stories. But I had no Idea where to start, my spelling was poor, my hand writing atrocious and I had zero idea how to punctuate or capitalize. One day, I was talking to my work mate Michael, who told me about an organization named "Read Write Now" and how they had helped and encouraged him, they even encouraged him to write a story that is close to his heart.his story was subsequently published. This all inspired me. Although I expected "Read Write Now" to reject me because of my age (54) although, I also expected them not to verbalize that reason. But to my pleasant surprise, I met with a lady named Robin Branchi from the a previously Mentioned "Read Write Now" Who accepted My application and I was soon met my tutor Amanda Bowen she is an inspiration to me. Amanda not only taught me how to spell and punctuate.I was also introduced to blogging which Helps me to express my self. Thanks to Amanda I can confidently write my story for you, and I encourage anyone reading this. Follow your dream.

Dive For Your Life

It was my birthday and my son said "come up to York" (That's in Western Australia).
So away we went. It took an hour to get there, in his car. from the moment we arrived we could see people floating in the air, parachutes billowing. On their landing I expected their faces to depict fear, even terror, From such an undoubtedly harrowing time. But no, I saw joy. My thoughts were"how can this be". Judging from conversations that I over heard from the no doubt loopy people. They were both of sound mind and body.
My question was, "why would any one jump out of a perfectly good plane"? the answer is, the thrill is indescribable. In years gone by expert sailors claimed the world was flat they were proved wrong by switched on people. In the same light sky divers are switched on people too.

My Alaska Holiday Part 5

Next we saw the Grand Canyon, words can’t describe the truly magnificent experience, and photos don’t do it justice it’s breath taking. You MUST see it. The next day we went to a music spectacular, in Fremont street Las Vegas, the theme is the 1960’s it was spectacular. The entire street was lit up with psychedelic light. The roof covers length and width of the street. Every hour a new song was played and the words displayed on the roof. And the colour configuration would also change. in between times, young people attired in clothing of the period, Sang and danced just as they did back then. IT WAS SO GOOD. The next day was great too we went on a Gondola ride with an authentic Venetian boat man. Quite close by, we were able to see a giant water feature shoot 50 foot or 2 foot in the air in time to music. It was a magical experience. That night, we went to the circus, you may have heard of it? Cirque De Soleil O, the only one that doesn’t travel. It was so good. Were going home to Perth tomorrow it’s been a great holiday though.
RON

My Alaska Holiday Part 4

Now we’ve left Alaska, arriving in Canada, The City of Victoria to be exact. It is a pretty place, and our sojourn was much too short, my family and I wandered around a bit then, we took a leisurely ride in a horse and carriage, touring the City. We voyaged back to Seattle that night, and this great cruise is over. It’s true all good things come to an end. But it’s been fun.


The cruise is over, but not, the holiday. We flew from Seattle, to Las Vegas. As soon as we arrived, we saw gambling machines, the very thing you don’t expect to see, at any airport. When we arrived at our hotel, we had to queue up, since it was night time I expected only a short wait to check in, 1 hour later it was our turn. This place is extremely popular. It's air-conditioned, But when I walked out of the hotel at 10am I was sweating profusely, immediately. I thought Perth was hot, but this is normal summer weather, not a heat wave. It’s the hub of gambling here, eating, drinking, sex and I dare say guns and drugs are all okay, as long as you gamble.

My Alaska Holiday Part 3

After cruising all night we were now in Sitka, we couldn’t dock because the port wasn’t deep enough, so we got on a tender. I went gold panning, hoping to find my fortune. I found a bit of gold, as did everyone, but no more, for any one. On reflection, we were given the first pan of dirt by the tour guide, it doesn’t need much imagination to work out that the dirt was seeded with gold. After that I went on a different excursion to a national park looking at fauna. I saw, many and varied plants and flowers, some trees are called nursery trees, the seed nourishes off the nursery tree until the old tree dies and the young tree takes its place. I also saw many totem poles each one tells the story, or dream of the Native American head, of each family. It was both Informative and Interesting. We left Sitka arriving in Ketchikan the next morning. As with all the other places we have seen in Alaska the scenery is breath taking. I went to a lumber jack show were 6 men competed against each other fooling about with each other and the audience, topping it off was a carving of a rabbit done with a chainsaw, it looked terrific. Afterwards I went to a traditional feast of Salmon battered in honey it was surprisingly delicious.

Big Heart

Just like many other people. My income has been severely reduced due to the economic downturn causing a lack of overtime. I was explaining this to my son and my granddaughter overheard this and said "don't worry grandpa,you can have all the money from my money box I've got lot of money". and for a five year old it would have been.

My Alaska Holiday Part 2

. We were now cruising on the M/S Westerdam it’s part of the Holland America Line of cruise ships. There were over 2000 people on board and yet It was far from cramped the description that I would use is comfortable. The food was plentiful the scenery breath taking, and everything is tax and duty free. The choice was ours, relax (yawn) or find something to do, I could sleep at home, so doing things was the choice for us. We were cruising the Inside passage. The Ice bergs and the glaciers, the colours, the whales, the seals, the sea birds, the cold, the snow, and the smell of the see air. You won’t find that on a TV documentary, or for that matter on a post card. It‘s magnificent Glacier Bay Alaska. Our first port of call was Junau I went flying in a sea plane I flew over snow covered mountains and saw forest from above, bald eagles and bears. I am glad that I was in the plane when spotting the bears, they run at 30 miles an hour, much faster than me and they have one thing in mind they want to kill you. I’m so glad I came, I’ve just started and find it beautiful, exhilarating and fantastic.

THE HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE

First we booked places for hot air ballooning. We were both keen to have the experience,but being afraid of heights,MRS. was nervous. Then we booked overnight accommodation in Northam for the night before our flight. The trip was to include a post flight champagne breakfast. We traveled to Northam from Perth in the morning of the day before our flight,so that we would have plenty of time for orientation. The room was not very flash,but it was adequate. After arrival,we went for a trial run to the airfield,so as not to get lost in the morning. After finding our accommodation we arranged to meet MRS X and Mr X for tea. Over the meal,they told us that the balloons often went right over their farmhouse,causing the dogs to bark.

For our flight, we were required to meet at the airfield before dawn. Hot air ballooning is best done at dawn, when breezes are gentler. We had an alarm set to wake us up in time, but as we did not sleep very well,the alarm was not necessary. At something like 4.00am we packed our possessions into the car and made our way through the dark streets to the airfield.

We arrived in time to meet other passengers, before a short welcome and briefing by the pilots. The take-off area was decided after taking the current gentle wind direction into account. We traveled about five kilometers to the take-off area in mini buses, towing trailers loaded with the balloons, baskets and other equipment needed for inflating the balloons. The balloons were still deflated at that stage, and stuffed into huge bags, about the size of wool bales. Passengers were required to assist in preparing the two balloons for flight.

The balloons were laid out on the ground, attached to their baskets, about fifty meters apart. Huge fans were set up between the baskets and balloons, to blow air heated by gas flames into the balloons. Passengers stood holding the mouths of the balloons open to admit the hot air. As the balloons became sufficiently inflated, all passengers had to hold onto the baskets so that they would not take off prematurely. Each basket would carry about twelve passengers. It was then time to board the baskets. This had to be done in strict orderly fashion, according to each individual’s weight, which had been noted at the time of booking.

There was a ladder for ease of climbing into the basket, but the strict weight distribution of the passenger load inadvertently added to MRS.’s nervousness. She was to be last aboard our basket and not surrounded by other people. Although she was shaking like a leaf, MRS. was determined to be brave. I held her tightly to reassure her. The pilot was experienced with this problem, and also gave MRS. every encouragement.

With a burst of flame from the gas burners, within a few seconds the breeze miraculously dropped and we were airborne. The breeze was still blowing, but we were being carried with it, so the feeling of air passing by us was eliminated. MRS . was still quaking, but starting to relax. More hot air was sent up into the balloon in occasional bursts, so as to control the rate of ascent.

Ten minutes into the flight, MRS. was totally relaxed, even to the extent that she could look over the side of the basket and down to the ground. As the air in the balloon cooled, more hot air was sent up to either maintain height or increase height. The height above ground level is important, because wind direction varies at different heights. By finding a suitable height and wind direction for the direction we needed to travel, the pilot was able to steer the balloon. We passed close to MRS and MR’s X farmhouse, but could not hear any barking from their dogs. Apart from the spectacular views and quietness of travel, the flight was fairly uneventful. We went on a circuit which took about an hour, and which brought us back to the airfield where we landed with hardly a bump. Disembarkation was another problem for MRS.. There was no ladder, and her little legs had trouble reaching the steps in the side of the basket. However, after an undignified exit for HER, we were all on Terra firma.

The mini bus drivers had kept track of us, in case we could not make it to the airfield, but both pilots had sufficient experience to make perfect landings.

Valves were opened at the top of the balloons by means of a light rope, and the balloons gradually deflated. With the help of passengers, the balloons were stuffed back into their bags and all the gear loaded on the trailers ready for another day’s flight.

We made our own way back to town and to the designated restaurant for a sumptuous breakfast, with champagne for some and fruit juice for me, as I would be driving back to Perth. Certificates of participation were handed out to all passengers.

We both declared the event a resounding success, and MRS . said she would like to go again.
Editors note: MRS and MR . are pensioners, It just goes to show that you don't have to be young to have fun. It sounds exhilarating too.

AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE.OH NO,OH NO, OH NO.

Did you know that Australia is the only county that kills their national emblem?
I am a PROUD Australian. We are a great nation, but perhaps we need a new national emblem, like the spiny ant eater, and the koala bear, at least we don't kill and eat them. I will get of my soap box now, but this is so sad and wrong.
Ron

JUMPING JACK

My uncle was at work one day, tiling a roof at an Insane asylum. Hearing a noise,he turned around and found a young man had climbed on to the roof so that he could see more clearly.My uncle found out the young mans name was Jack, and was about to talk to Jack about the danger of falling. Just then the lunch bell rang and Jack was really keen to get his lunch. He told my uncle, "I am going to jump off the roof and beat every one else to lunch". My quick thinking uncle, convinced him to carry his tools down the ladder for him, and said, "after lunch we will have more energy, so lets jump up on to the roof then".


Ron

GARDENING WITH A DIFFERENCE

Plant three rows of peas. patience, Promptness, and perseverance.

Four rows of lettuce. Let us be helpful, let us be loyal, let us be unselfish and let us respect one another.

Then plant three rows of squash. Squash indifference, gossip, and criticism.

and three rows of turnip's
Turn up, only if Invited, turn up, with a smile, and turn up, determined to please.

strive to be a good person, and make a difference.

THE EXPERT

My son and I went to see the Fremantle Dockers play. Much to our dismay, though we were not entirely surprised, they lost. On the train trip home a trip of about 3/4 of an hour we had the experience of conversing with a drunk.
She was disgruntled about her teams loss. But she had the answer, "they needed red jumpers,red she went on is the colour of confidence, and they were obviously short on that. Next they needed a woman coach,a woman could motivate the players more efficiently. Finally the players were having too much sex, resulting in strains and injuries,that would have to stop,at least! during the playing season".
Ron

FRIDAY FRIGHT

The alarm sounded, so with alacrity, we hurried to our emergency muster point. The names of all the personnel on duty were called. Every one answered,"HERE", except one person. To no avail his name was repeated, but Albert was missing. Was he lying injured or, perish the thought dead, killed in the fire??? Who was to know? The Fire Brigade had been called and were searching.
We were then informed it was a drill, an elaborate drill, even though it seemed so real. All was well, and Albert was in on it. Thank goodness for that.
Ron

My Alaska Holiday Part 1

My holiday is here at last. My family and I arrived at Perth Airport for our 6:30pm departure. After boarding it was announced that there would be a delay due to a technical problem. Two hours later we taxied away and took off. Later we found out that there was ice on one wing,that is unheard of in Perth,and Airport staff were unsure how to remove it. Frantic enquiries were made and the ice was removed. At last I was away, bound for America. We were flying Air New Zealand,so our first stopover was Auckland, New Zealand it was Saturday morning and we had a seven hour stop here. We flew all night and yet it was still Saturday. We crossed the International Date Line and just landed in Seattle WA. It’s a pretty place but not the WA I know and love. It was Sunday and Americans celebrate Fathers Day in June,I asked my daughter for a present but was rebuffed and told I would have to wait until September. We leave this pretty city at 4pm to commence our cruise to Alaska.

Robert Meehan

It was a Saturday just like all the Saturdays Robert Meehan recalled through out his life,that is until his dad said “son would you like to spend the day with me? “Robert said yes” while they were out that day,Robert saw a poster that would change his life in a big way. To Robert it wasn’t just a poster, to him it was much more. it was like a loud speaker shouting,“hey boy, you’ve wasted your life,if you respond to this invitation you will achieve your goal,so don’t waste any more time” the poster said the army needs new apprentices. Robert said to his dad, “I didn’t know they did that". He applied for apprentice Fitter/ Machinist in the army the year of 1983,it was with a tinge with nervousness.Back in 1982 on a visit to Perth Airport with his dad, Robert saw an military apprentice, the emblem on the young mans chest stated the words, Army/Air force apprentice, he duly applied, unsuccessfully. Disappointed, but undaunted,Robert spent the next year studying fitting/machining at TAFE. In late 1983 he saw the positive results of his perseverance begin to bear fruit, when he saw the poster. In January 1984 he was recruited to the army Apprentice School, by 1999 Robert had come full circle he was back in a Fitting and Machining workshop,the difference was he was the Instructor now, The following year he was sent to Afghanistan and promoted again, this time to Warrant Officer Class1,he remained in Afghanistan until 2002, Robert was then sent to Melbourne for one year. Then sent to Iraq cavalry regiment until 20006, leaving the army after 23 enjoyable years, Robert returned to Perth as a Superintendent of a growing and International company.

Amanda

Hi, Amanda is an inspiration to me, Without her influence I could never have written this blog. She is an experienced blogger. Read her blog and be inspired as well: http://makrhod.blogspot.com/
Happy reading Ron :0)

My drama

On a recent visit to the USA, I was having a hard time trying to find a particular health food store.
Asking was easy. However having a neurological disease affecting my speech, no one could understand me. No one, except for one lady who understood every word, and gave me precise directions. Of course I was grateful, but I couldn't help wondering how she understood me.
On asking her, she said "Simple dear, I'm deaf, so I'm reading your lips".