busy week

Current work: tidying desk – then on to M&B 55 (Cherish/Romance) and outline for the other book I'm working on
Listening to: Daughtry
Reading: Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus (very good – really enjoyed the world-building, and the descriptions of the circus were fantastic in all senses of the word)

Tuesday was London. Not the best journey there as we had a replacement train, which meant no comfy seat and table to work at, so I read all the way there instead of working on an outline. (That was a treat, but also meant I was out of reading material for the journey home!) Also used a different way to get across London – instead of taking the District line and changing at Earl’s Court, I went to Bank, took the Waterloo and City line to Waterloo, then went by overground. Much quicker and easier.

Had a very good meeting with my editor and know what I’m doing now for the next few months – it’s good to be focused. Lovely lunch, too – warm beetroot and goats’ cheese salad followed by chargrilled salmon and ratatouille, and a glass of Chablis. (Notice, no pudding. I was SO good.) Headed for the Barbican, but sadly didn’t get to see the Rain Room as the queue was two hours (even at 4pm, when I expected it to be a bit flat) and I would’ve missed my train home. Still. Had coffee with bestest cousin, then toddled back to Liverpool Street to discover that the two trains before mine had been cancelled due to a tree on the line. Eep. Had a chat with the staff at the station (who were lovely, helpful, and could teach the grumpy lot at Cambridge last month a great deal about how to treat customers properly) and I was in luck – my train was still scheduled.

London always tires me out – I think it’s the travelling. (I walked more than 15k steps on Tuesday.) But I dragged myself into the gym on Wednesday morning - first time for a week and a half, thanks to the lurgy - and felt a lot better for it. I was supposed to be tidying my desk yesterday, but in the couple of days after finishing a book my head’s always a bit busy – lots of ideas dancing round and I find it a bit difficult to settle to anything. (And my hero is back to writing songs in my sleep. Didn’t think anyone would appreciate me working it out on the piano at 5am yesterday morning or this morning, though. Dear Muse, we need a chat about your working hours.) I did however book most of the things I'm meant to be sorting out (Christmas meals, birthday treats, etc) so it wasn't a totally skivy day.

Dance class last night was great; first half was the waltz, and then in the second we did a new step for the cha cha cha (i.e. our absolutely favourite dance).

Plan for today: tidy desk. Not my favourite occupation, but it needs doing before I can really sit down and get going on the new book(s). And I have Shakespeare to look forward to tomorrow – the RSC is touring Julius Caesar and I have tickets for Grumpy Teen and me. (Daughter is too young. But give it a year and if there's a traditional Twelfth Night or Much Ado, I'm tempted to take her.)