A Christmas Card From the USA.

Today, I got out and checked the mail early... well okay, it was my normal time, but I made sure I didn't stuff around out in the heat as it was hotter on my way home than it was when I headed out.  Strange but true!  Well, when I opened the PO Box today, I had a phone bill and a large envelope from the USA awaiting me.  On opening it, I found it was a gorgeous Christmas card from phantomreader42 from Georgia in the USA. 

Thank you so much for sending this to me!  I love the wolves on the front; they are just gorgeous!  I really appreciate your thoughtfulness.  I'll post one off to you in the next day or so in return.

Ornament Exchange 2011!

This year, TexasWren couldn't do the Bookcrossing Ornament Exchange; so she hired two wonderful people to take her place.  And they've done a great job in matching us all up!  I sent off my ornament to a Bookcrosser in Canada about a week and a half ago; and it should arrive there soon.

Today, though, I picked up a small box from the post office (that's what the blue pick-up parcel card was for) and I found inside it a gorgeous ornament for my tree!  Thank you so much heartthumper!  I will definitely put this on my tree once I put it up next week.

Gorgeous Knitted Coin Purse Arrival.

A few weeks ago, I received a Private Message from a Bookcrosser who asked me if I was still collecting coin purses.  I answered her and said I do; but haven't found any that were interesting enough to purchase of late (yep, I've hit a dry patch in the charity stores).  Today, I was out at the Post Office to check the mail; when I opened the little black door with my number on it to find the whole thing was chock-a-block with mail!  there was junk mail, two parcels and a blue parcel pick-up card!  Wow!  That's a lot of deliveries!

Inside a yellow envelope was this gorgeous little knitted coin purse.  Inside the coin purse was the Flamingo magnetic bookmark from Florida and the postcard is of Niagara Falls.  I love how this purse has been made; with such care; and it's been used too.  I will get into using it at some point soon as well.  Thank you so much pumpkinpussycat for sending this one to me, it's just gorgeously cute!

HGG from Heartthumper

It's coming around to that time of year again!  Yep, Christmas time; and this means, I'll be receiving some gifts from my friends from across the miles on Bookcrossing.

Today was the first day for one to arrive!  I opened my PO Box and there was a blue parcel pick-up card waiting for me.  When I opened the parcel, I found this cute little coin purse sock and lovely Christmas card.  Inside the card were these beautiful book labels; some of them were made just for the Christmas season!  How lovely is that?  Thank you so much Heartthumper!  I love this beautiful little gift; and it was all wrapped up in Christmas paper too... just lovely.  

Two Romance Bandits Prizes Arrivals

Today, I had a parcel show up in the mail; and I am expecting a few things as the season of Christmas approaches.  However, today, it was a prize I had won on the Romance Bandits site about a month ago of what I thought was one book; but when I opened it, it turned out that I won two books!  How good's that?  

Isn't it wonderful when you find that you think you've got one thing and it ends up being double?  I love it.  So, I'd like to personally thank Cheryl Ann Smith for sending these great romance novels to me with two bookmarks as well.  And these books are signed as well!  What a bonus!  Thank you again, Cheryl.

Tuesdayal's Visit

Last week, Tuesdayal visited Brisbane for a conference.  However, we kept on missing each other to catch up on the Bookcrossing front.  So, seeing she had a few things for me, she posted off in the mail the things she had for me; and today, they arrived!  

I'd like to thank her very much for sending this little, old glo-mesh purse to me.  It's very old and will be added to my collection; however, it's in such a bad state I may not be able to use it.  So, it has been put away to keep it safe and to keep it from it falling apart.  Thank you again, Tuesdayal.

Book Label Exchange!

The Bookcrossing Label Exchange is under way again!  And today, I received two lots in the mail!  On a day where the rain clouds had covered our blue skies, they really brightened my day.  

The two that showed were in two average sized envelopes.  One was from Heartthumper in the USA.  Now, she and I have swapped all kinds of things before; from labels and Christmas cards to gifts.  And so, Heartthumper and I are old Bookcrossing friends.  And I thank you very much for sending me these lovely labels from where you are; and I love the old-style card too, it's so very retro! 

The next one was from a first-timer to the Label Exchange; and so I was thrilled to receive a lovely envelope filled with a gorgeous postcard, labels and a recipe for a Raw Blueberry Cheesecake from Mystical Warrior.  Yummo!  Must try that out one day! 

Thank you both for your labels.  I will be posting mine off after next week; as my money has been a little tight lately.  Thank you again.

Romance Prize from Across the Miles

I'm on a blog called 'The Romance Bandits' and there's about 16 managers who are all writers who write romance novels.  Now, that's a lot of managers for one blog!  And they are lovely people who have a brilliant sense of humour!  I found this blog during one of my many searches to make my other blogs fun and interesting; and to do this, I search my followers' blogs.  I know this sounds menial, but it works.  You never know what you may find.  Anyway, I commented a few times on some of the topics they talked about and the next thing I knew, I had won a book from one of them!  I was thrilled and contacted her to redeem my prize.  This was a few weeks back; and I only today received the prize.  When I pulled it out of the envelope here at home, I read the cover of the romance novel and found little sticker on the front:  'Signed by Author'.  Now, this was a little detail I had missed when I first had a quick look at it at the post office in my excitement of it arriving!  How very cool is that?  I have a signed edition of this lovely romance novel!  Now, I don't read romance very often - and usually have to be in the right mood for it - and so, now I have a book to read when that mood strikes.  When that will be?  I'm not sure, but this book will be here waiting for me when it does.  Thank you, Donna MacMeans for this book I will get to reading it whenever my romantic mood kicks in. 

Birthday Parcel from Birthday Buddy Arrives!

On Bookcrossing, I have a Birthday Buddy.  We are lined up with them each year and if we're happy with them, we keep in touch and send each other gifts each year on each other's birthdays.  It's a lot of fun and I look forward to this time of year each year as it's a great give and take thing.

Well, today, I collected my parcel from the post office, but didn't open it as I had to get myself to the bus stop to get to my volunteer work.  Once there, and before it poured rain, I pulled out the cake for the day (before I found out that there were already two other cakes in the fridge) to share with the other volunteers.  Then, I pulled out my parcel and opened it at the front desk with my partner volunteer who worked with me today.  She was amazed that I received a present from somebody who was ultimately a complete stranger; and yet, we were so generous to each other.  I said that was main idea of Bookcrossing; it's a trust thing and it putting your trust in other people.  She loved it that there were so many good books inside such a small bag; and loved the coin purses, saying that my devotion to collecting them was wonderful!

So, I must say a big thank you to froggirlwendy for sending me the most wonderful present of five books, two coin purses, writing paper and inspirational quote and a lovely card (which will join the one on the piano from Mum and Dad).  I can't wait to get into reading these ones over the next few months - or better still over Christmas!  Thank you again, and happy reading!

Parcel Influx

After such a long time without receiving a parcel for me - and the only parcels arriving were for Loey - I received three parcels today in the mail and one envelope.  This crowded my little PO Box; so there was a blue parcel pick-up card there amongst one parcel and the envelope.

Once I received my larger parcels, I couldn't wait to get home, and opened the two parcels inside the post office.  And I found one book titled 'The Bee-Loud Glade' by Steve Himmer; which is a book I volunteered to read for a book discussion on Goodreads.  I began reading this one on the way home and read up to page two.  It's beautifully written.

The other two parcels were from Bookcrossers.  One was a RABCK (a generous giveaway from a Bookcrosser who had a book up for grabs) titled 'Jumping the Queue' by Mary Wesley and the other parcel was a birthday gift from Sfogs containing two books titled: 'Shadowlight' by Mike Jefferies and the other?  Well, I'm not supposed to tell... it's a secret on Bookcrossing and so I better keep it that way until the bookring is finished.  But I have to read that one too.  So, I have a lot of reading ahead of me.  

Thank you all for sending these books through the mail to me.  I really do appreciate it.  It's great they made it before my birthday; as it's made my day all the more special.