Meddlesome Do-Gooding.

*I've turned comments off for this post ... I knew you'd do it computer and you did! Thanks. Heaps.*

Three years ago, right at the start of Dave's chemotherapy, I was asked if I wanted to write the text for a childrens book. I took this as Universe balancing out the awful crap we were going through with something really lovely, and said yes. About twenty beautiful paintings arrived at my front door; it was my job to write some words about them. I remember lining them up all the way around the room upstairs, trying to find the threads of a story to tell. I did, it worked out really well, and I named the book "Buzzy Bees."

                           August 2009 - Rocco *loved* reading it, see?

I've had two big boxes of those books sitting in the hallway of my house for - oh, two years now. Dave often tells me to "Just sell them hon! Make some cash!" And I tried to, once. I took two copies in to a bookshop in Katoomba, and stood there, squirming - asked if they wanted to sell them on consignment. The bookshop lady did, she loved them and told me to come back in a few weeks and see if they sold.

I never went back. I'm not sure why. Probably because I'm a weirdo with huge amounts of self-loathing and zero self-esteem and hate, HATE pimping my wares for ANYTHING. (I had a distinct dream around this time, of standing up in front of a huge group of people .. who were all their to celebrate the writing of my "book." I told them all, in my speech - that it wasn't a book. It was just a square thing with words in it.)

So.

In honour of my Year of Turning 40, I've decided to give them to you. Really! There's a catch - you just have to quickly pop over to Cate Bolt's Foundation 18 website and donate at least ten dollars. Once you've done that, let me know either via email edenriley@gmail.com or a comment, and I will mail you a copy. So simple. You can donate more, if you want to. Even just a few dollars more will make a huge difference. You get to feel good AND you get a book. Which I will even sign, if you want. I have thirty copies to give away.

                      My favourite page in the book - that crazy Mr Rooster!

I have no way of checking if you paid, so this is an honesty-based system. Like, buying a bag of peaches from the highway near a farm and leaving your money in the box. You could lie to me and I wouldn't know. But that's bad karma.

If you don't want a book but would like to help anyway, you can put this button in your blog sidebar:




Get the code here.

Make sure you let me know if you put a button in, so I can come and check it out on your blog and marvel at its beauty. Think of it as carbon-neutral blogging. Especially if you already mention brands like Ford or Ribena on your blog - you can balance it all out, with annoying do-gooderism. If you'd like to be involved in another really cool thing to do with Project 18, email my friend Lerner at Stay at Home Babe. She is in the throes of organising something AMAZING! Hardcore, rockin' chicks with tattoos, UNITE.

Here's a quick vlog of me showing you the book.


I always think I look much prettier than I actually do. Sad.

I haven't told Cate I'm doing this - I'm going to wait, see how long it takes her to notice. (Because I'm kind of hoping the donations will ROLL in. Not by me - yet. I get paid tomorrow. I'll probably spare forty bucks. Maybe even fifty, if I postpone my pedicure til next week.)

Thank you in advance, Computer.