Thursday, June 11, 2009

how cool is that?

Current work: admin and thinking about next books
Listening to: Kathryn Williams
Reading: Sarah Mayberry, Hot for Him (excellent end to the trilogy)

Lovely day skiving off, yesterday. The AA route map said it would take 42 minutes from home to West Runton. Maybe, except they forgot to factor in the tractors... But I had a lovely time. There’s nothing nicer than being nosy with another author’s workspace - except possibly being nosy with TWO other authors’ workspaces. (My friend’s husband is a fairly big name children’s author. His office is very cool – he actually works standing up. I was fascinated as I'd seen an article about people with sedentary jobs trying to lose weight and working standing up walking at 1 mile an hour on the treadmill) My friend’s desk is like mine, only a bit tidier than mine usually is.
Lovely lunch out – excellent food. A real melt-in-the-mouth casserole (lamb with redcurrant and mint), with new potatoes, cabbage, broccoli and carrots. See how virtuous I was?

Oh, all right. I confess. There was a stunning pudding menu. And there are certain things I can always find room for, sticky toffee pudding being one of them. I have been so incredibly virtuous this week that I deserved ONE treat.

And later I had the coolest ever text message esterday from my mate Jo. Guess what I saw at Jamaica airport?

And attached was a pic of this book…

Wow.

Plan for today: do accounts (especially as the Inland Revenue sent me something yesterday). Tinker a bit with outlines. Tinker a bit with nonfics. In other words, a nice pottering about sort of day, where I will be working at my desk, the breakfast bar in the kitchen AND the dining room table, all at the same time, but flitting from one to t’other via the kettle for cups of coffee.

(Dear Inland Revenue. I use at least three rooms in my house for work purposes. Four, if you count the conservatory, and then there’s the garden where I will probably be using a laptop this summer. My office is also the spare room: people sleep there when they come to stay. It’s also where homework gets done. I just annex it as my workspace because the rest of our house is more or less open plan and this is the only way to get thinking space – apart from locking myself in the loo, and that might contravene health and safety regs!)

8 comments:

Donna Alward said...

Yet another reason to like you - fondness for sticky toffee pudding! And so rarely do I eat it as it's hard to find in Canada!

What's your opinion of bread pudding? The Banff Springs used to do a bread pudding with raisins etc. and a gorgeous warm custard sauce. I do believe once they had peach as well with a hot caramel sauce....

linda margaret said...

Kate;

Sticky Toffee pudding! That was one of my favourite treats during my recent trip to England. I knew we were kindred spirits. Now it is getting a bit scary!

Linda

day off today, dh and dd went to a funeral and I'm home trying to reclaim my living room from the piles of paper, books etc that are trying to take over

Kate Hardy said...

Y'know, Donna, that coffee and creme brulee we were planning? I think it should be a whole meal of puddings.

Bread pudding - my mum used to make it. Very nice. Love the idea of the peach and caramel one.

And go look up Delia Smith's recipe for chocolate bread-and-butter pudding. I don't usually like chocolate puddings, but that one is fabulous. It's nice cold for breakfast the next morning (IF you have leftovers).

(And I am a bad, bad influence...)

Kate Hardy said...

Linda Margaret - absolutely! I'm also very fond of lemon puddings. I've always wanted to make Sussex Pond Pudding but my inner nerd knows the saturated fat count...

Sorry to hear re the funeral, and hope your day improved.

linda margaret said...

Kate;

Funerals are always sad, but this was also a thanksgiving for a parish priest who died at the age of 86 who never really retired. He was a bachelor and his parishioners were his family for the most part. He also spent his summer vacation helping out at a conference for teenagers (this is dd's connection) He will be missed but his ministry was a testament to his life and he will be remembered for the special man he was. The funeral was several hours away, so I stayed home because ds is not done school yet. Only six more school days until summer vacation! I might not be counting the days quite as eagerly as he is!!

Linda

Lacey Devlin said...

Wow I'm completely fascinated by the idea of standing up while I write. I'm going to assume he has a very high desk or else lower back muscles of steel!

Completely and totally fascinating.

Makes me think I need a treadmill and a high desk (that could be a dangerous combination)

Kate Hardy said...

Linda - he sounds like a very special man. Hugs. And hugs, too, on the countdown to school holidays!

Kate Hardy said...

Lacey - it's a very high desk. Brilliant stuff.

Treadmill and desk combo... I'd like one, too, but I dare not say a word as DH has just taken the treadmill out and I've got another bookcase in its place :o)