One Day to Go…

Adventures-of-Algy-120318

Algy was feeling very excited, because the next day was his birthday, and he was going to host a big Tumblr party for all his friends 🙂

In the meantime, Algy had to wait patiently for the big day to arrive… Luckily, it was a beautiful morning, and once the frost had melted it felt almost warm in the early spring sunshine. All the crocuses opened their faces with enormous smiles to greet the sun, and even the daffodils were beginning to think timidly about showing their petals. So Algy settled himself down among the flowers and opened his battered old copy of Longfellow’s poems. Turning to page 10, he read:

When the warm sun, that brings
Seed-time and harvest, has returned again,
’Tis sweet to visit the still wood, where springs
The first flower of the plain.

I love the season well,
When forest glades are teeming with bright forms,
Nor dark and many-folded clouds foretell
The coming-on of storms.

From the earth’s loosened mould
The sapling draws its sustenance, and thrives;
Though stricken to the heart with winter’s cold,
The drooping tree revives.

The softly-warbled song
Comes from the pleasant woods, and colored wings
Glance quick in the bright sun, that moves along
The forest openings.

Don’t miss Algy’s party on @lovefromalgy tomorrow!

[Algy is reading the opening stanzas of the poem An April Day by the 19th century American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.]

Advertisement

Algy slept for a long, long time after the excitement of his Magical Midwinter Star party, and when he awoke, it was January. Rubbing his eyes sleepily he flew up to a perch in a pine tree, to inspect the brave new world, but the world had gone. He rubbed his eyes again, but still there was nothing there… nothing but dense, dark Scotch mist… It was January indeed…

Algy’s Magical Midwinter Star Party PHOTO CHALLENGE!

Please read the rules below carefully.

PRIZES:

  1. Paperback copies of Algy’s new book The Magical Midwinter Star signed by Algy and Jenny for the first 5 (FIVE) photos received which satisfy the rules below (only 1 prize per person!)
  2. Signed greetings cards showing the stag illustration from The Magical Midwinter Star for everyone else who participates in this challenge 🙂

FREE Kindle ebook download for everyone, all day today 1st January 2017 and tomorrow 2nd January.

CHALLENGE:

Download the FREE Kindle edition of Algy’s new book “The Magical Midwinter Star” and SUBMIT A PHOTO OF SOMEONE READING IT to the party at @lovefromalgy TODAY!

You do not need a Kindle device to read the Kindle book – there are free Kindle apps for almost every computer and mobile device 🙂

Here’s the submit link:

http://lovefromalgy.tumblr.com/submit

RULES:

The first 5 (FIVE) photographers to submit a photo of someone – human or fluffy – reading the Kindle version of Algy’s new book The Magical Midwinter Star will receive a free paperback copy of the book, signed by Algy and Jenny 🙂

Only one prize per person! You are welcome to submit more than one photo – and all submissions will be included in Algy’s party – but only the FIRST photo you submit will be eligible for the challenge.

It MUST be possible to see in the photo which book is being read on the device displaying the Kindle book.

Still photos or GIFs are accepted 🙂

Photos MUST BE SUBMITTED using the Submit form:

http://lovefromalgy.tumblr.com/submit 

Do NOT post on your own blog and send a link for this challenge.

This challenge remains open until the party closes 🙂

Runners-up will receive a signed card from Algy in the post 🙂

Please share with all your friends 🙂

Here are the direct links to the Kindle book:

Amazon UK

Amazon USA

Amazon in Japan

Amazon in Germany

Amazon in France

Amazon in Spain

Amazon in Italy

Amazon in the Netherlands

Amazon in Canada

Amazon in Australia

Amazon in Brazil

Amazon in Mexico

Amazon in India

IT’S PARTY TIME!

Welcome to Algy’s Magical Midwinter Star Party, which is starting now on his sideblog @lovefromalgy

But what’s this? Algy doesn’t seem to be quite ready… a wee bit of bother with the party decorations…

But never mind 🙂 There will be lots of fluffy surprises, a special photo challenge, free gifts (giveaways) and prizes, and all kinds of fun.

Use the Submit form on lovefromalgy to join the party with your images of the magical midwinter – and send all your fluffy friends to have fun with Algy 🙂

Happy New Year everybody – and a million fluffy hugs for you all xoxo

Algy is very busy preparing the magical stars for his Magical Midwinter Star party – TODAY Sunday 1st January 2017, from 12 noon until late…

on Algy’s sideblog @lovefromalgy

You are all invited, and bring your friends 🙂

Submit your images via http://lovefromalgy.tumblr.com/submit or post on your own blog and send Algy a link.

When Algy woke up on Thursday morning he got a wee surprise; it looked as though the weather gods had mislaid their calendar… He was sure that it was the end of April, but there was more snow falling than he had seen at any time during the winter. Algy flew quickly over to his assistants’ house, to find his tartan shawl and tam, and then perched in a bush in their garden, watching in amazement as huge flakes of heavy, wet snow kept flopping down on his head…

Algy dedicates this post especially to his friends at PWS @photosworthseeing, in honour of their special April event for spring 🙂

The day had been mainly fine, and Algy had decided to fly out to the lighthouse, where he could gaze far across the sea in many directions, and take deep breaths of exceedingly fresh air…

He perched on the mass of rock near the lighthouse tower and gazed into the west, where the sea often shone with a beautiful silvery light. The dark shadow of a great bank of cloud was beginning to cross the water from the low island on the horizon, but for the moment he was still in the hazy sunshine… 

Algy is delighted to announce that this image – Algy Brightens the Shadows in Life – is the very first photo portrait of him to be made available on a range of products in his assistant’s Redbubble shop.

So carry Algy with you, to brighten the shadows in your life – a fluffy bird shining on your iPhone or iPad case, notebook, T-shirt, tote bag… or even hanging on your wall 🙂

All purchases help Algy to continue his adventures.

Algy perched close to the water, watching each wave as it rolled in and splashed on the rocks around him. No two waves broke in the same way, and it was impossible to guess what the next wave would do. Sometimes a whole series of smaller waves followed one another, scarcely managing to splash at all, and then a much larger one swept in and sprayed him with a shower of salty water. Algy was fascinated by the unpredictability, and time flew past quickly. But it was impossible to play this game for extended periods, as the tide was always changing. Just now it was going out and – as Algy watched – the waves withdrew, so that after a while they no longer splashed him at all. But Algy didn’t mind, because he knew that the tide would soon turn, and the waves would return to splash again…

Algy hopes you are all enjoying a peaceful and relaxing Sunday just watching the waves, either literally or metaphorically 🙂

It was a beautiful spring day, and although the temperature was only a few degrees above freezing, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. Algy hurried down to the beach, and perched on a lichen-covered rock, gazing out towards the hazy islands in the distance while the skylarks ascended over the dunes behind him, singing their wonderful songs to the sky.

If it had not been for the bitter chill of the north wind, he would have believed himself inside a picture postcard. On a day like this, it was hard to remember the dismal months of smothering grey Scotch mist, the constant rain and the battering winds of the West Highland winter. Now the world seemed bright and calm and full of colour – and Algy hoped that it would stay that way, for a while, anyway…