a weekend of partying…

Current work: PM job
Listening to: Del Amitri, The Collection
Reading: Sarah Morgan, The Magic of Christmas (read it Friday night – excellent book and the secondaries as always are just wonderful)

Am completely shattered after some excellent but busy days. So what have I been up to?

Thursday, saw GP and it’s not bronchitis – it’s a throat infection. I’m on antibiotics (so I couldn’t toast my baby in champagne or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc – bah). Then we took Madam out for her birthday tea and she absolutely loved it when they brought the cake over and played ‘Happy Birthday To You’ and ‘Congratulations’ (as in Cliff Richard).

Friday was London – lovely day for it and the train got me to Richmond a little bit early, so I sat out on The Green under a chestnut tree and just chilled out for a while. (All right. I started working on an outline...)

Then it was lunch with my agent and two of the senior eds (one of whom is mine, the senior Meds ed, and the other of whom is head of the other line I write for and is absolutely lovely) and we worked out what I’m doing next year. Although I write for two lines, from now on there will be one Kate Hardy style rather than me trying to split myself into two – so readers will know exactly what they’re getting. (And when I asked what they thought made a Kate Hardy novel, the three of them chorused the same thing – which is good to know. I think it’s easy to describe someone else’s style but much harder to analyse your own, as you’re too close to it.)

And then I came home to some gorgeous flowers from my sister via interflora – a ‘get well soon’ thing which was very much appreciated. (I did get a telling-off for keeping quiet about the dental traumas and the cough... especially as it's been going for nearly two weeks now. Sigh.)

Saturday, my best friend came up, so there was much talking and much listening to music.

Sunday was the family party and daughter looked FABULOUS. (Here’s proof. Not just maternal pride, is it? And her godmother did her nails so she’s showing them off, too.)

We ate too much, laughed too much, watched fireworks… perfect family day, really.

Today is back to work, though I’m half-considering having a duvet day. Certainly another early night as I’m still well under par with this cough. Have cancelled my music lessons this week and I might have to reschedule a business meeting – will see how I’m feeling tomorrow.

happy anniversary

Fifteen years ago today, the sun was shining, it was boiling hot… and it was my wedding day. I just remember smiling and smiling so much that my face hurt.

Twenty-two years ago (give or take a couple of days), it was our first date. DH tried to impress me with his designer T-shirt – but I’m not and never have been trendy, so I was completely oblivious. The arrangement was that we’d meet outside the post office. No way was I going to stand there like a lemon, in case he didn’t turn up, so I stood outside the record shop next door, pretending to read the top 40 chart list.

I didn’t know anyone who had a car, at that point (all my friends were poor students, like me). So I really wasn’t expecting him to turn up in a car; he ended up circling the one-way system three times before he spotted me. He had this bronze-coloured Cortina (very similar to the one Gene Hunt drives in Life on Mars… another reason why I have a soft spot for that programme) and it just ATE petrol – but he had this wonderful stereo system. And no tapes visible. I asked about his musical tastes. ‘No, no, you won’t like the stuff I do.’ Eventually he caved in and told me his tape box was in the glove compartment and I could have a look if I wanted to. ‘Hmm. Got that one, that one, that one – ooh, can I borrow this? I’ll lend you Stormbringer, seeing as you haven’t got it.’ He was gobsmacked that I shared his taste (mine’s probably wider, but we have a decent crossover). He was even more shocked when I bought a round in the pub. (‘Girls don’t buy rounds.’ They do if they’re students.) And although everyone thought we were complete opposites, it just worked. We knew within a fortnight we were going to get married. (We took so long to actually do it because I needed to finish uni first, then buy a house while we could still afford one, then move to a house with a garden and get a dog, and... then we ran out of excuses.) And here we are, over half a lifetime later. Still married. Still happy. Still a team. (This takes work. And learning to compromise. But it’s worth it.)

So what are we doing on our anniversary? Well, I have a deadline. The deal was, no work on holiday and I’d do it when we got back. Except my brain is a bit sluggish and I'm not doing very well. So I’m going to do some negotiation; and it's sunny and I want to spend time with my family. But dinner out tonight is a definite!