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So it seems the book is a wee bit late in getting where it's supposed to get - which admittedly sucks.

However we're going to take this lemon and make ourselves a little lemonade!

Sound good? Of course it sounds good.

The delay give you yet another chance to get something free.

What I want you to do is keep an eye on - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

You know, go there every few hours search for me, or the the title, or whatever and the minute the book pops up copy and paste the link then drop it in an email and send it to me at - [email protected]

The first email I get with a valid link not only gets the book for free, but gets it autographed as well.

If that's not some sugary, tangy, delicious lemonade I don't know what is.

If you're too lazy to do any of this, no worries. I will undoubtedly be bombarding you with messages of some sort the moment the book arrives.

Now that I’m on a smartphone that has a real web browser and is capable of multitasking (the Palm Pre), In fact, I find myself expecting it to act like my laptop. I’ve stopped carrying my laptop or my netbook to work each day because I can do so much on my phone, but I’m still noticing where decisions made by web designers make my mobile life easier.

So here’s mobile developer tip #1, my two cents: use plugins and widgets that let users automatically share your content on sites like Twitter, Delicious, Facebook, etc., because you’ll make the user’s life easier. Granted, not all phones support the Javascript that powers this type of service on a web page, but more and more will, so consider getting ahead of the curve and adding it now.

The alternative for me as the reader (acknowledging each person’s situation is different) is to:

1. Leave the site up in a card until I get home in the evening and can manually bookmark it on my laptop. This works about 50% of the time.
2. Email the site to myself so I can bookmark it later on my laptop. This works about 80% of the time but is annoying.
3. Try remembering to revisit the site later on my laptop to bookmark it. This works 0% of the time.

As a result, I’m finding that I’m far more likely to bookmark something if there’s a direct link to post it to Delicious, and that workflow will continue for me until there’s a Pre app that makes this easier, which means I really appreciate sites that offer this. Even better is if you can add it so that it appears in your RSS feed so that it shows up in places like Google Reader and Bloglines, too.

Here are some options to consider for adding this functionality to your site.

• For WordPress blogs, you can use the Sociable plugin (I’m sure there are others, but this is what I use so I know it works). I have another blog post brewing on this topic, but this is yet another reason I encourage libraries to make their “what’s new” page a blog - you can then use the wealth of plugins out there to improve the user’s experience.

  

• For Drupal sites, you can use something like the Share module (I’m going to look into this for ALA Connect. If you’re using a different CMS, check to see if there’s a similar module for it.
• Failing that, or even for use on general web pages, check out something like the Add This widget, although I have to admit I’m not sure how accessible it is.

Regardless, this can be a relatively easy way to help meet the needs of your mobile users, a group that’s just going to grow in the future. Food for thought. Nom nom nom.

Two oddly shaped nectarines from the lady who has a wonderful organic fruit & vegetable stall every Wednesday and Saturday morning in the nearby village of Lauris. I love imperfectly shaped fruit, so when my mother (who has been an angel looking after me) brought these back I knew I just had to draw them.

It took me three days to draw them! Though that's probably due to the fact that I still tire easily ... and perhaps because, in some places, there are over twenty layers of colour in this drawing. I'm still not completely happy with it but knew that if I didn't finish it off I'd end up destroying it, so I finally stopped.

A special request, for the name Alexander. I'm quite enjoying doing these names. I have another one waiting so I'd better get onto it.

I'll have to blame my illness and recuperation for the fact that I'd forgotten to mention that this book that I'd ordered before getting so sick was waiting for me when I returned from hospital. I have been going through it with pleasure and pangs of hunger when I come across the too-yummy food drawings. Altaglich Folio: No Five contains beautifully delicate and detailed drawings by the extremely gifted Megan E. Bluhm Foldenauer whose artwork can be found here www.megalo-media.com or at her Flickr site. I've been a fan of hers since I discovered her drawings and am now determined to acquire books No 1 - 4 too! Cheers.

Flat Nectarines products at Floating Lemons at Zazzle
Alexander lime products at Floating Lemons Type at Zazzle

Three Cherries products at zazzle

Well, I obviously tried to tackle far too much last month ... what with so much extra work and the arrival of my shipping, etc, I ended up sacrificing my daily walk with the dogs, stopped eating healthily, stressed out completely -- and as a result my defences went down and I ended up being taken by ambulance for an emergency operation as I was attacked pretty viciously by an extremely happy internal bacterial infection.

Won't mention the gory details but I essentially suffered from quite massive blood poisoning and am now still recovering though I'm finally home from hospital and what a relief that is. Still have to keep my feet up for another couple of weeks but at least I finally found the energy to start drawing again!

So here is my interpretation of Life is A Bowl of Cherries. Not a bowlful perhaps but I am truly appreciating every little bit life has to offer, so a trio seems apt enough :)

I was able to work slowly on a few text designs as well ... primarily requests for names, and here are the ones I've completed so far:

Shireen pink products at zazzle

Juarez blue products at zazzle

Angela hot pink products at zazzle

I'd like to thank very much everyone who sent me prayers, good wishes and positive thought. I've been too tired to write emails or respond to messages personally (general anesthesia truly leaves one exhausted) but I shall now slowly go through them all so that I can personally thank you.

Meanwhile, I have a close friend who has also landed up in hospital after an accident so if any of you reading this know Ida Nerina please please send her all those wonderful prayers for a speedy and FULL recovery.

Wishing you good health! Cheers.

Blank mind today. And for the past few days too, really. Am in the middle of a job but what little imagination I do have decided to flee and is probably having a great time somewhere without me.

So, with blank page before me I cruised through old photos and found one that I'd taken of some candy as I'd told my niece Lara I'd draw some for her. Decided to pick up my coloured pencils and just doodle ... this is the result.

Candy card at zazzle

When I returned home for a visit last year my nephew and one of my nieces were baking these glorious cupcakes and I took photos so that I could eventually draw them as they looked (and tasted!) so yummy. Well, I've finally managed to get one down onto paper though I really am not doing it justice. This one is for my nephew Kaelen!

Life has been hectic and I've been pretty blocked too. The final move into the new house has been a huge relief and I'm happy. Since then I've had visitors non-stop and am about to go overseas for two weeks again, after which life will I hope resume it's normal (?) peaceful routine and I can begin drawing on a more regular basis. Cheers!

Cupcake Hearts Card at Zazzle

I've become horribly addicted to these chocolate dipped peanut brittle snacks. Delicious. Had to give the last lot of them away to a friend before I turned into one!

Happy 2009 to everyone!

Peanut Brittle Card at Zazzle

Temptation is difficult to resist, especially when I'm tempted by such attractive morsels like the macaroons above, so brightly coloured and scrumptious looking. Fortunately I find them far too sweet for my taste and am happy to admire the way they look, draw them and leave them for others to enjoy.

I'm finally moved into my new quarters and hope that in a few months this will become my permanent home. Fingers crossed. In the meantime I am so loving being here and the settling down process is being helped along by the presence of a good friend, good food and beautiful surroundings. It's taken time away from blogging, commenting, getting inspired visiting other sites and, most important, drawing! But I refuse to get stressed over it as I know that soon enough it will be winter and I will have tons of time to concentrate on art and work.

Macaroons Card at zazzle

Devil’s Island

Coordinates: 5 16 N 52 34 W

Area: 34.6 acres (14 hectares)

Today, urban dwellers may yearn for the occasional retreat to a tropical paradise, but for about a century there were plenty of people who longed to escape from just such a place. Between 1852 and about 1953 this Atlantic island off the coast of French Guiana served as a penal colony intended for prisoners suffering from contagious diseases—leprosy in particular. (more…)

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