In the mail today, I also received another piece of mail; however this one came further than the Christmas card. Enclosed in this pretty envelope, was book labels from BC and hand-made book corners, and bookmarks. I love them all! They are so beautiful and will most definitely be used in the most suited books to match them all! This may take some time to put them with books to match them; so they may sit for a little while until I find the right book to suit.
Otherwise, thank you so much for your thoughtfulness and generosity as it's the small things that make everything else in life worthwhile. Thank you so much, Hyphen8 for making my day!
Now, we come into the time of giving and receiving. Yes. It's Christmas-time; and I do love this time of year. However it's not the receiving of the presents I love, it's the giving to others. And today, I received my first Christmas card through the mail from another Bookcrosser. I must thank Junequeensland for sending this lovely card to me.
Junequeensland and Glenystasmania and I met up in Brisbane City in October. And even though the day was wet, we had a lovely time at the Pancake Manor and 'Archive Bookstore' on Charlotte Street. They were absolutely astounded at how big the store was and vowed to come back and make a day of being there. I do look forward to seeing one or both of them back here in Brisbane again next year.
Today was my lucky day. Seriously, it was! And it began at the post office with this envelope in my PO Box and kept going from there. I pulled it out and it was from the great state of Illinois! Thank you so much for the beautiful home-made labels ChicagoGuy5049. They are big, bold and definitely won't be missed in the books I plan to use them in.
Oh, and what else happened to make this my lucky day? I won 2 cds from a music station (Powderfinger and Bon Jovi's most recent ablums), I was on time for the bus, I paid off a lay-by just in time for Christmas and almost everywhere I went everything was half-price! Yes... today was my lucky day. I've saved more money than ever!
Today the PO Box didn't have much in it. Well, it had one parcel pick-up and so I thought it may have been pretty much anything from a RABCK to a Bookring. But today, it is something much more special than either of those things! Today, the Advent Calendar Present arrived from Nikel27! Inside the envelope is a letter explaining what to do with the present and the date I'm to open it.
Now, I'm very curious about what's inside the gorgeous paper... but, I'm not one to break the rules of this game you've created. So, under the tree this parcel will go until the date on the top of the letter (which is 24th, December, 2009. I will be opening this present down at Brunswick Heads on Christmas Eve!).
I will update this post when I find out which book I've gotten. Until then, we'll all be in suspense!
When Loey came to pick me and Stevie up this morning, she told me there was a parcel for me in the car. Once I got my little bird settled in the back seat, I opened front passenger door and found the parcel that had traveled a long way from Pugwash, Canada. Yes! Queenfrog, your parcel arrived safe and sound after being in transit for so long. As we drove along Logan Road in the heat today, Unwrapped the many little gifts you had picked out thoughtfully one by one and I must say that I love each and every one of them!
Thank you so much for putting the thought and time into this present. I really do love the book cover. It will be used this Christmas when I'm down the coast - as the salt air really isn't good for books down there. I have found a place for everything from my parcel of goodies you sent to me; no matter how late it has arrived. You are wonderful!
I went to the post office early today; as I had to take Little Miss Stevie to the vet for a check-up. Well, there wasn't anything in my PO Box, so I thought to double check and found the ladies writing up a parcel I had to sign for. It was a box and it was light; and when I read the customs sticker, my suspicions were confirmed! It was my Ornament Exchange! And isn't it gorgeous!
Thank you so much HwnSciGirl from North Carolina! I love the owl(isn't he just beautiful! So rustic and charming! I'll most definitely hang him on the tree this week when I put it all together)! And you included a book: 'Spooky South: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings and other Local Lore'. Thank you so much! Once Loey saw it, she wanted to read it immediately... well, not after me of course.:D
When I checked the mail today, I found nothing in the box, so, I went inside to post off my Christmas Cards (yes I begin my Christmas Spirit early in the year) and look for things to post off for HGG's. Anyway, there was something for me, the ladies at the post office hadn't written it up yet. So, after I paid for my things, I signed for the parcel and brought it home.
Now, I don't know what to call this one; it is a surprise to find it here. However, I don't know if it's a HGG or a Sweepstakes. So, I'll just have to say it's a great surprise it's here and add it to my Mt TBR for the next few months (well, next year!). Thank you spaceystacey for this book!
ETA: 15th, November, 2009: I received an e-mail just today from spaceystacey that the book was a prize in a Sweepstakes for Popped! Thank you again! I will have to find time to read it; seeing how many books I've received in the latter part of this year.
I unwrapped this one and was taken back to New Zealand by a wonderful friend! You see, I have been to the South Island; but it was a long time ago and I just barely remember it, because I was very ill when I returned. All I have left is a photo album of photographs of places I don't remember and a diary of memories I think I had (sounds sad, but really I don't remember being there all that much). Anyway, as soon as I opened the calendar, I saw Milford Sound and completely remembered that trip!
Thank you so much for this beautiful gift Sfogs! The coin purse is gorgeous as is the card you chose. I love it all! And one day in the future, I'll have to return to New Zealand and see the place at my own pace.
When I opened this parcel, I found all these gorgeous postcards that matched each other in colour and art. Then, out popped a sealed chocolate. On the back of one of the postcards was a greeting saying the chocolate was Belgium and that the postcards were chosen on the basis of 'warm yellow, sandy colour scale, because that's what I associate with your warm country'. Wonderful!
I'd love to thank you very much! However, I couldn't figure out who sent it. There was no screen name on the postcard and no return address on the back of the envelope for me to see if I had it in my BC address book. So, whoever you are, in the Netherlands, thank you so much for your present I love it!
7th, December 2009: I felt like eating the chocolate and on opening it, I was pleasantly surprised find the cat on the front of the packaging was also the shape of the chocolate on the inside! Isn't it gorgeous? Just wanted to share.
This is the third parcel that's arrived in my PO Box in the last week that has been a Sweepstakes prize from Bookcrossing! Wow! Thank you so much, Lauraloo29! I really appreciate this.
I've been with this wonderful booktrading and reading site, and over this time, I've never won a Sweepstakes. It's a lot of fun to find pressies and parcels in my PO Box every day. And this book looks like a good one. Now, to find the time to read it and the room in my little office to place it. This is going to be fun to catch up with my reading pile!
While I was at the post office, I also picked this parcel up; but I didn't have to sign for it. It was tightly wrapped in a recycled Australia Post bag and had a sheet of a Bookcrossing note paper taped to it as an address label! Very cool recycling technique. Once I got home and the parcel was opened, I was pleasantly surprised to pull out a pagan mystery from AmberC with a wicked postcard of an aerial shot of Cyclone Monica that almost hit Darwin in April 2006.
I took two photos of this so you can all see the photo of Cyclone Monica and then what was written on the back of the postcard. Amazing what those things look like from above isn't it? Absolutely breath-taking! Thank you AmberC for sending this great book to me. I'll add it to Mt TBR.
This is so cool! I went to the post office today because it's going to rain a lot and I didn't want to get wet. When I arrived, I collected one blue parcel collection slip and a few letters, then went inside; only to find there was another parcel on the counter I had to sign for! Cool! And this was the parcel I had to sign for.
I love all kinds of things North American Indian; and I hadn't thought of books. However, I was surprised at the gorgeous cedar berry necklace! Just look how beautifully-made it is and the colours of it! I tried it on and love it! Thank you so much Erishkigal for these I will have to get into the book (once I make a dent in my Mt TBR) and I'll wear the necklace when I go out next.
This one isn't about anything I received in the mail. I thought to write this post about what happened on this first Tuesday of November; which here in Australia is known as Melbourne Cup Day.
My little bird, Stevie, became very sick. She was throwing up all over the place and not looking well at all. So, Mum and I took her to the vet at MacGregor and they did some tests on her. It turned out that my darling budgie had a Bacteria Crop Infection and had to be left overnight at GreenCross Vets. So, I signed the form with my poor little sweetheart on my shoulder and said my goodbyes; hoping I'd see her again and went off on my way. I spent my day worrying about my darling pet.
She's my little companion as I live alone. And she makes me life a little brighter when I come home from volunteer work or a big day out; and yes, I tend to talk to her when there's nobody else to talk to. During the day, Mum had gone onto Bookcrossing.com and asked my friends to send some healthy and feathery vibes for my darling bird as she was very sick and at the vets.
The next day after a restless night (even though the vet called me and assured me that Stevie was looking well and perkier than before), I received the phone call that I could bring her home. Stevie was so happy to see me when I arrived that she didn't want to talk to anyone but me. 
And didn't want to go back into the cage once she started talking to me (in her language of course). The vet, Mum and I chatted about Stevie's diet, living conditions and how things had to change a little. Otherwise, I was allowed to take her home. And just look at the difference!
I want to thank you all for helping me through a rough time with my little bird. She's a darling and a sweetheart; an absolute charmer and is getting better as the week progresses. I just wanted to thank you all here as you all mean so much to me!
This parcel was inside my PO Box with the red slip yesterday. And, when I got home, I opened it up and was so happy that it avoided the UK Royal Mail strike (or got around it somehow). And I love the postcard of London you included; it brought back so many memories of walking around that big city with nothing more than a Pentax Z10 camera, my backpack full of bottled water, a little bit of money, traveller's cheques and a map way back in 1997. Anyway, I began the first story while doing my volunteer work and trying to keep my mind off my little bird's health at the Logan Art Gallery.
Thank you so much Bookowl1000 for this wonderful book! I do look forward to reading more of his work; I've found a dark kind of humour in it already.
Oh! Wow! I've never gotten something from one of these before in all the years I've been with Bookcrossing! And of all days, I'm so happy I received this on in the mail! I had to send my little bird off to the vet after she threw up seed all over the place yesterday morning and I was as worried as a pet owner could get when I opened my PO Box and found the red collection slip inside. So I went into the post office and signed for the parcel to be handed a huge one! Once out in the car, I opened it and found a massive bag of Reece's Peanut Butter Cups!!! Yummo! Loey saw them and her mouth dropped. Then I said there were books and teabags... and well, you can see by the photograph that there was a lot in the parcel!
Thank you so much Shemchin for making my day! You really brightened it up! You're one-of-a-kind!
After such a stressful weekend (which I won't go into here), I opened my PO Box find a wonderful surprise inside it! A red pick-up card; this means I had to sign for it. I opened the envelope at the post office (no, I couldn't wait until I got home; I get too excited when it's got my screen name on the front!) and out came the two gorgeous coin purse, the bookmark, a hand-written note and a pen. I also found the magnet inside the woven coin purse. All of these beautiful things came from California! I love them and will get great use out of them!
Thank you so much for this wonderful surprise. I love it and will most definitely get into using all of it very soon, judygreeneyes.
In the mail today, I also received another piece of mail; however this one came further than the Christmas card. Enclosed in this pretty envelope, was book labels from BC and hand-made book corners, and bookmarks. I love them all! They are so beautiful and will most definitely be used in the most suited books to match them all! This may take some time to put them with books to match them; so they may sit for a little while until I find the right book to suit.
