Off to London today, for the annual Mills and Boon authors’ lunch. Can’t wait. Partly because I’ll be seeing friend of whom I’m very fond but don’t see that often, and partly because I’ve seen the menu and lovely, wonderful Michelle has been an utter star and included my favourite pudding. (OK. Kate Greedy.)
Am also planning a v quick trip to Westminster beforehand, as I need a pic of the Boudicca statue for the Essex ruins book (goes with Colchester, and it doesn’t matter that the statue is at Westminster. Might do King’s Cross Platform Ten as well.)
And then it’s eat too much, laugh too much, talk too much. (Drink? Maybe. I’m a lightweight, nowadays, and a hangover is a seriously bad idea if you’re travelling, so I’ll be pacing myself and drinking lots of water as well.) I’m staying over with my best friend, so this also involves dinner out at Strada. (Yeah. And we all know I read menus backwards, and we all know which pudding I’m going to choose there, don’t we?)
The current book is at my favourite stage; I LOVE the beginning of a new book. All the possibilities are spread out before you, and there’s the delightful process of getting to know exactly how your characters tick. I normally have a fair idea of the latter before I start work – my books are character-driven – but they can still surprise me. My heroine’s name is still fluid, but currently is Allegra (aka Allie – and I like that spelling of the diminutive, too. Ta, Jan). I’ve changed her surname twice and I’m veering between two very similar ones. Again, this will settle down as the book beds in. But it’s nice to be at that enthusiastic, bubbly stage at work.
Also did some admin, aka printing out directions to the three places I plan to visit tomorrow. Two are location pics for the Essex ruins book, and one is a museum trip – aka research for something that’s in my head and refuses to go away. Like the Hunterian, this is not a place where I’d take the kids because it’s just a teensy bit gory. Fascinating, though. My mum would’ve loved it. And then she would’ve told me some ghost stories from her student nurse days.)
Did a little of the research side of the French duo yesterday, i.e. sent an email to a local vineyard. Am keeping my fingers crossed that they’ll be happy for me to visit them and have a brief chat. (Guess I’m the writerly equivalent of a Method Actor. Ha, just as well I don’t write crime. Though everyone was very antsy when I wrote The Norfolk Poisoners. Er, arsenic isn’t easily available, guys…) I think I’m going to book the perfume course, too. (This all sounds a bit self-indulgent. However, it will give depth to the duo.)
Thank you to everyone who responded here and privately re the bullying issue. Your support is very much appreciated. And I’m pleased to report that although son did see the bully in the playground yesterday, school has obviously bully-boy aware that his behaviour is not acceptable he stayed away. Hopefully it’ll last for a few days, but if the ‘little chat’ has to be repeated (and if I have to really escalate it to stop him), so be it.
Remember, the draw to win the book is still open until Sunday night UK time, so keep telling me your stories. Puns (the badder, the better) and fascinating facts will do just as nicely. And I will be back on Monday with the winner’s name and a report on London. Have a nice weekend!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Stinking bullies (aka draw to win a book)
Current work: MH duo, book 1
Listening to: Def Leppard, Adrenalize (deluxe edition so I get the acoustic stuff and the Hendrix cover, which is lovely – probably my third fave Hendrix track (Little Wing), #1 being All Along the Watchtower and #2 being Voodoo Chile)
Reading: India Grey – Spanish Aristocrat, Forced Bride (enjoyed this one – very emotional read. Lovely warm heroine, and she told the hero exactly what I wanted to tell him, poor guy)
Finally, my author copies have arrived (yay!). So I am a happy bunny.
Temporary Boss, Permanent Mistress is my Northern Lights book, and I loved doing the research for this one. Sadly, I didn’t get to do the research on location, but I’m working on that. (Dear Ed, you know the reindeer? We-e-ell…)
Have also started the vineyard book. Still not settled on the heroine’s name (which is crazy, because I know everything else about her and she’s talking loud and clear, but she won’t give up her name). This will come, so I’m not too worried.
Am really looking forward to going to London tomorrow – seeing some of my fave fellow authors and my lovely ed, then staying overnight with my best friend - but at the same time I wish it wasn’t this week. I will be much less fidgety when I’ve picked up son this afternoon and found out whether the bullies have backed off.
Yup. It's back.
Interestingly, son, aged 12, has already worked out that the girls in the gang who are plastered in make-up tend to be stupid and spiteful, and those who don’t bother tend to be nicer to talk to (not to mention brighter). Seems things haven’t changed since I was at school, then. Tricky one. All I can do is be supportive to him, keep close tabs on the situation and make sure everything’s in writing at school so they can deal with it – and also try to stop being a bad person and wishing I could stake out this nasty boy next to a wasps’ nest, smeared in jam.
We all know that bullies allegedly become bullies because they’ve been bullied (er – there is such a thing as making a choice) and we’re supposed to feel sorry for bullies because they’re poor, innocent victims. But I’m afraid I don’t feel sorry in the SLIGHTEST for the lad who hassles my child. I just want him to leave my child alone.
It’s said that the best revenge is living well. There is some truth to that. When I was 8, there was a nasty girl who ruled the playground. If you dared talk to someone she decreed shouldn't be talked to, then you were ostracised as well. (The ones she said shouldn't be talked to were nice. So I'm afraid I ignored her and continued talking to them.) And again, when I was 12, one particular girl made my life a misery. She wasn’t plastered in make-up, like the nasty girls in the current bully’s gang – but neither was she thin or pretty. She was at the bottom of the class, though, so I guess the geeky girl at the top of the class was her natural target for her frustration. Understandable, but not pleasant when you’re on the receiving end. I wouldn’t mind betting that I have a happier life now than either of those two nasty girls. But when you’re 8 (or even 12), you really can’t see that far ahead.
Oh, for a magic wand.
But the best I can do on the magic wand front is to write stories with happy endings that make people smile (and maybe shed a tear or two on the way).
To cheer myself up, I’m giving away a signed copy of the Temporary Boss, Permanent Mistress. Tell me a revenge story, or a bully story, or a bad pun, or a fascinating fact, and I’ll add your name in to the draw. Will draw the name on Sunday evening UK time and announce it on Monday morning.
Listening to: Def Leppard, Adrenalize (deluxe edition so I get the acoustic stuff and the Hendrix cover, which is lovely – probably my third fave Hendrix track (Little Wing), #1 being All Along the Watchtower and #2 being Voodoo Chile)
Reading: India Grey – Spanish Aristocrat, Forced Bride (enjoyed this one – very emotional read. Lovely warm heroine, and she told the hero exactly what I wanted to tell him, poor guy)
Finally, my author copies have arrived (yay!). So I am a happy bunny.
Temporary Boss, Permanent Mistress is my Northern Lights book, and I loved doing the research for this one. Sadly, I didn’t get to do the research on location, but I’m working on that. (Dear Ed, you know the reindeer? We-e-ell…)
Have also started the vineyard book. Still not settled on the heroine’s name (which is crazy, because I know everything else about her and she’s talking loud and clear, but she won’t give up her name). This will come, so I’m not too worried.
Am really looking forward to going to London tomorrow – seeing some of my fave fellow authors and my lovely ed, then staying overnight with my best friend - but at the same time I wish it wasn’t this week. I will be much less fidgety when I’ve picked up son this afternoon and found out whether the bullies have backed off.
Yup. It's back.
Interestingly, son, aged 12, has already worked out that the girls in the gang who are plastered in make-up tend to be stupid and spiteful, and those who don’t bother tend to be nicer to talk to (not to mention brighter). Seems things haven’t changed since I was at school, then. Tricky one. All I can do is be supportive to him, keep close tabs on the situation and make sure everything’s in writing at school so they can deal with it – and also try to stop being a bad person and wishing I could stake out this nasty boy next to a wasps’ nest, smeared in jam.
We all know that bullies allegedly become bullies because they’ve been bullied (er – there is such a thing as making a choice) and we’re supposed to feel sorry for bullies because they’re poor, innocent victims. But I’m afraid I don’t feel sorry in the SLIGHTEST for the lad who hassles my child. I just want him to leave my child alone.
It’s said that the best revenge is living well. There is some truth to that. When I was 8, there was a nasty girl who ruled the playground. If you dared talk to someone she decreed shouldn't be talked to, then you were ostracised as well. (The ones she said shouldn't be talked to were nice. So I'm afraid I ignored her and continued talking to them.) And again, when I was 12, one particular girl made my life a misery. She wasn’t plastered in make-up, like the nasty girls in the current bully’s gang – but neither was she thin or pretty. She was at the bottom of the class, though, so I guess the geeky girl at the top of the class was her natural target for her frustration. Understandable, but not pleasant when you’re on the receiving end. I wouldn’t mind betting that I have a happier life now than either of those two nasty girls. But when you’re 8 (or even 12), you really can’t see that far ahead.
Oh, for a magic wand.
But the best I can do on the magic wand front is to write stories with happy endings that make people smile (and maybe shed a tear or two on the way).
To cheer myself up, I’m giving away a signed copy of the Temporary Boss, Permanent Mistress. Tell me a revenge story, or a bully story, or a bad pun, or a fascinating fact, and I’ll add your name in to the draw. Will draw the name on Sunday evening UK time and announce it on Monday morning.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Yes! Yes! Finally!
Current work: finished revisions (deserves screamer)
Listening to: more from lovely Joe Elliott (soundtrack to next book is Satie and Def Leppard…)Reading: next on TBR (ooh, I can read tonight…)
Some books are more of a struggle than others. And although these were sort of minor revisions (only 8k new stuff – and yep, I’m sad enough to know how much I’ve cut out and how much I’ve added between drafts) they were subtle and that made them tricky.
It doesn’t help when you have another book in your head that really wants to be written, and whose characters are talking loudly and getting in the way of what you’re supposed to be doing, i.e. revisions. (Hopefully this means that this one will be a joy to write.)
Anyway. ‘Tis done, and I can relax into my French duo – meanwhile crossing my fingers that I did the job properly and won’t have to do second revs.
DH bought me flowers last night. Think he noticed that I was a tad stressed (I wanted these revisions done last week). For homework, daughter had to do a sheet about herself, and one of the questions she had to answer was ‘If you could do absolutely anything, you would…’ She’d written that she’d like to be able to bring people back from the dead, so she could meet people in her family tree that she hadn’t had the chance to meet. Yeah. She had someone particular in mind. My mum. I did the, ‘That’s lovely, darling, and she would’ve loved you,’ bit, and then I just fled, muttering, ‘Gotta work.’ (I think that’s the real reason for the flowers. And I’m still feeling all tearful today.)
I’m going to have some lunch now, play my guitar for a bit (to clear my head), and then set to work with Xavier and… I was thinking Sally, but she’s the child of two (very driven) classical musicians and that’s the wrong name. Allegra, perhaps? (Hmm. Too Byronesque.)
Righty. Carrot and coriander soup, here I come. And if you want soemthing more happier-sounding from me (am in post-book miserable stage, which is completely normal and completely temporary - will be chirpy again as soon as I get back to my notes), go over to the Pink Heart Society where I'm talking about travel...
Listening to: more from lovely Joe Elliott (soundtrack to next book is Satie and Def Leppard…)Reading: next on TBR (ooh, I can read tonight…)
Some books are more of a struggle than others. And although these were sort of minor revisions (only 8k new stuff – and yep, I’m sad enough to know how much I’ve cut out and how much I’ve added between drafts) they were subtle and that made them tricky.
It doesn’t help when you have another book in your head that really wants to be written, and whose characters are talking loudly and getting in the way of what you’re supposed to be doing, i.e. revisions. (Hopefully this means that this one will be a joy to write.)
Anyway. ‘Tis done, and I can relax into my French duo – meanwhile crossing my fingers that I did the job properly and won’t have to do second revs.
DH bought me flowers last night. Think he noticed that I was a tad stressed (I wanted these revisions done last week). For homework, daughter had to do a sheet about herself, and one of the questions she had to answer was ‘If you could do absolutely anything, you would…’ She’d written that she’d like to be able to bring people back from the dead, so she could meet people in her family tree that she hadn’t had the chance to meet. Yeah. She had someone particular in mind. My mum. I did the, ‘That’s lovely, darling, and she would’ve loved you,’ bit, and then I just fled, muttering, ‘Gotta work.’ (I think that’s the real reason for the flowers. And I’m still feeling all tearful today.)
I’m going to have some lunch now, play my guitar for a bit (to clear my head), and then set to work with Xavier and… I was thinking Sally, but she’s the child of two (very driven) classical musicians and that’s the wrong name. Allegra, perhaps? (Hmm. Too Byronesque.)
Righty. Carrot and coriander soup, here I come. And if you want soemthing more happier-sounding from me (am in post-book miserable stage, which is completely normal and completely temporary - will be chirpy again as soon as I get back to my notes), go over to the Pink Heart Society where I'm talking about travel...
Monday, September 14, 2009
publication day (ish), insecure dogs and new paint
Current work: last push on revisions
Listening to: Def Leppard (some of my CDs arrived this weekend…)
Reading: Julie Cohen, Girl From Mars – really enjoyed this. Great pace, good story, excellent characterisation; and Julie’s definitely a skilful writer, because in real life she’s glamorous and trendy and cool – yet she actually gets down on paper what it’s like to be one of the untrendy, unsporty types. Very nicely done and I recommend it highly.
The radio session on Friday was great fun. I did indeed talk about the dangerous biscuits story. Oh, and I discovered this on sale in WH Smith just before the show.
It’s not supposed to be out until Friday, so I was delighted to see it. Especially as I’m still waiting for my author copies (distribution glitch, sigh), so I bought the two they had left. (I think it’s a good sign they only had two left… that, or I’m going to be completely paranoid!)
Spent the evening with DH watching a romcom. Dog refused to settle, pattering upstairs to check that the kids were really home, and then down again to check that DH and I hadn’t disappeared. The new term has made him really insecure… and as a consequence the ‘you are NOT allowed on the sofa, dog’ rule has been bent a little bit. Cue one spaniel sprawled across both of us.
Saturday: DH painted our bedroom while I worked. My job was making coffee and bacon sandwiches (with crusty French bread). New paint is quite a bit darker than the old (cue whimpers from me – clearly hitting my 40s has suddenly made me resistant to change instead of being happy to widen my boundaries) but it does look nice. And then we had what I think will have to be the last barbecue of summer – got cold very quickly.
Sunday: DH glossed while I worked on revisions.
Plan for today: finish revisions, book taxi to train station for Thursday… and then, yeehah, I can work on the French duo. (Which is actually what I did on Friday, bad puppy that I am, but the opening scene was in my head really strongly so I had to note it down. Besides, I needed a break from revisions…)
Listening to: Def Leppard (some of my CDs arrived this weekend…)
Reading: Julie Cohen, Girl From Mars – really enjoyed this. Great pace, good story, excellent characterisation; and Julie’s definitely a skilful writer, because in real life she’s glamorous and trendy and cool – yet she actually gets down on paper what it’s like to be one of the untrendy, unsporty types. Very nicely done and I recommend it highly.
The radio session on Friday was great fun. I did indeed talk about the dangerous biscuits story. Oh, and I discovered this on sale in WH Smith just before the show.
It’s not supposed to be out until Friday, so I was delighted to see it. Especially as I’m still waiting for my author copies (distribution glitch, sigh), so I bought the two they had left. (I think it’s a good sign they only had two left… that, or I’m going to be completely paranoid!)
Spent the evening with DH watching a romcom. Dog refused to settle, pattering upstairs to check that the kids were really home, and then down again to check that DH and I hadn’t disappeared. The new term has made him really insecure… and as a consequence the ‘you are NOT allowed on the sofa, dog’ rule has been bent a little bit. Cue one spaniel sprawled across both of us.
Saturday: DH painted our bedroom while I worked. My job was making coffee and bacon sandwiches (with crusty French bread). New paint is quite a bit darker than the old (cue whimpers from me – clearly hitting my 40s has suddenly made me resistant to change instead of being happy to widen my boundaries) but it does look nice. And then we had what I think will have to be the last barbecue of summer – got cold very quickly.
Sunday: DH glossed while I worked on revisions.
Plan for today: finish revisions, book taxi to train station for Thursday… and then, yeehah, I can work on the French duo. (Which is actually what I did on Friday, bad puppy that I am, but the opening scene was in my head really strongly so I had to note it down. Besides, I needed a break from revisions…)
Friday, September 11, 2009
dangerous biscuits
Current work: revisions – and also off to do a radio session this morning
Listening to: Def Leppard (have I mentioned that I love Joe Elliott's voice? And he can play guitar and piano, too. Sighhh)
Reading: Given that my TBR pile is out of access, I amused myself last night by annoying DH. Big sigh from him. ‘Can’t you just read for a bit instead of annoying me?’ Evil grin from me. Hey, you’re the one who moved my books… (They are going to be restored this weekend, after painting. If he has any sense. And, as lovely Jenny Haddon gave me a couple of Heyer recommendations, I do have a couple of new ones to sneak in...)
Caught a press release yesterday that really made me smile - about dangerous biscuits (that’s biscuits as in UK, i.e. cookies rather than the US scone-type things).
The most dangerous, apparently, is the custard cream.
Apparently, doctors have to treat lots of biscuit-related injuries each year. (Righty. I can just see my editor’s face if I suggest this as a plot point. Ohh, lightbulb – now I have something to torment her about at the M&B party, next week! Last year it was reindeer. This year it will be custard creams. She’s going to love this.)
What kind of injuries? According to the study conducted by Mindlab, these include: people poking themselves in the eye with a biscuit (3%), falling off a chair while reaching for the tin (no figures given), sustaining burns after dunking a biscuit in scalding tea (33%), and being hit by fragments flying through the air. Others choked on crumbs (28%), 7% were bitten by a pet or ‘other wild animal’ trying to get their biscuit (oh? What sort of wild animal? The journo in me sees a photo opportunity, here), and 10% damaged a tooth or filling on a particularly hard biscuit.
And the best one? A man who ended up stuck in wet concrete after wading in to pick up a stray biscuit. (How daft can you get? And wouldn’t said biscuit be inedible anyway because of the covering of concrete? Unless it was in a wrapper, but even so…)
If you want to read the full story, it’s here at the Telegraph. It’s the kind of story I would’ve loved working on, in my PR and journo days. Bit of an own goal, though, as it the survey was conducted on behalf of Rocky – and they’re #3 on the dangerous list. Unless it’s cool to be a dangerous biscuit?
Incidentally, I’m on the radio this morning – Tessa Shepperson, Sara Lock and I are taking over Graham and Karen’s breakfast show on BBC Radio Norfolk at 12. The idea is, instead of them interviewing us and asking our opinion on current news stories, we’re going to interview them. This is SO going to be one of my questions. (It’s utterly frivolous, but it really appeals to my sense of humour. Karen will love this, too. I'm going to have to nip into Marks and buy some biscuits before we start.)
So I’m asking you, too. Which is your favourite biscuit – and is it on the dangerous list, below?
The biscuits on the Biscuit Injury Threat Evaluation list with their rating:
Custard Cream 5.64
Cookie 4.34
Choc Biscuit Bar (eg: Rocky) 4.12
Wafer 3.74
Rich Tea 3.45
Bourbon 3.44
Oat Biscuit 3.31
Digestive 3.14
Ginger Nut 2.99
Shortbread 2.90
Caramel Shortcake 2.76
Nice Biscuit 2.27
Iced Biscuits/Party Rings 2.16
Chocolate Finger 1.38
Jaffa Cakes 1.16
Listening to: Def Leppard (have I mentioned that I love Joe Elliott's voice? And he can play guitar and piano, too. Sighhh)
Reading: Given that my TBR pile is out of access, I amused myself last night by annoying DH. Big sigh from him. ‘Can’t you just read for a bit instead of annoying me?’ Evil grin from me. Hey, you’re the one who moved my books… (They are going to be restored this weekend, after painting. If he has any sense. And, as lovely Jenny Haddon gave me a couple of Heyer recommendations, I do have a couple of new ones to sneak in...)
Caught a press release yesterday that really made me smile - about dangerous biscuits (that’s biscuits as in UK, i.e. cookies rather than the US scone-type things).
The most dangerous, apparently, is the custard cream.
Apparently, doctors have to treat lots of biscuit-related injuries each year. (Righty. I can just see my editor’s face if I suggest this as a plot point. Ohh, lightbulb – now I have something to torment her about at the M&B party, next week! Last year it was reindeer. This year it will be custard creams. She’s going to love this.)
What kind of injuries? According to the study conducted by Mindlab, these include: people poking themselves in the eye with a biscuit (3%), falling off a chair while reaching for the tin (no figures given), sustaining burns after dunking a biscuit in scalding tea (33%), and being hit by fragments flying through the air. Others choked on crumbs (28%), 7% were bitten by a pet or ‘other wild animal’ trying to get their biscuit (oh? What sort of wild animal? The journo in me sees a photo opportunity, here), and 10% damaged a tooth or filling on a particularly hard biscuit.
And the best one? A man who ended up stuck in wet concrete after wading in to pick up a stray biscuit. (How daft can you get? And wouldn’t said biscuit be inedible anyway because of the covering of concrete? Unless it was in a wrapper, but even so…)
If you want to read the full story, it’s here at the Telegraph. It’s the kind of story I would’ve loved working on, in my PR and journo days. Bit of an own goal, though, as it the survey was conducted on behalf of Rocky – and they’re #3 on the dangerous list. Unless it’s cool to be a dangerous biscuit?
Incidentally, I’m on the radio this morning – Tessa Shepperson, Sara Lock and I are taking over Graham and Karen’s breakfast show on BBC Radio Norfolk at 12. The idea is, instead of them interviewing us and asking our opinion on current news stories, we’re going to interview them. This is SO going to be one of my questions. (It’s utterly frivolous, but it really appeals to my sense of humour. Karen will love this, too. I'm going to have to nip into Marks and buy some biscuits before we start.)
So I’m asking you, too. Which is your favourite biscuit – and is it on the dangerous list, below?
The biscuits on the Biscuit Injury Threat Evaluation list with their rating:
Custard Cream 5.64
Cookie 4.34
Choc Biscuit Bar (eg: Rocky) 4.12
Wafer 3.74
Rich Tea 3.45
Bourbon 3.44
Oat Biscuit 3.31
Digestive 3.14
Ginger Nut 2.99
Shortbread 2.90
Caramel Shortcake 2.76
Nice Biscuit 2.27
Iced Biscuits/Party Rings 2.16
Chocolate Finger 1.38
Jaffa Cakes 1.16
Thursday, September 10, 2009
busybusy (aka I Hate Revisions)
Current work: revisions and accounts
Listening to: Def Leppard (am enjoying Sparkle Lounge)
Reading: (see yesterday, sigh)
Dog is not happy that the kids have gone back to school. Currently, we have no carpets upstairs, and he keeps running upstairs to see if they’re in their rooms. Patter, patter, patter – thud, as he lands on a bed. Then it’s another thud as he jumps off their beds, disgruntled. (That, or he’s pogoing...) And as for going on his bed in the kitchen when I’m doing the school run – ha. He rushes past and sits by the front door, all hopeful. By next week, with any luck, he’ll be used to the routine again; in the meantime, he’s driving me slightly bananas and I’ve asked DH to put the stair gate back on.
Plan for today – see accountant, then struggle on with revisions.
Sigh. I hate revisions. (I know it makes the book better. I know that I'm not perfect. I still hate revisions.)
I do however have an outlet for the frustration, in the form of the chords for ‘When Love and Hate Collide’ - which just so happens to be in my vocal range. (Not the studio version, which is a stretch and I have to do the chorus an octave lower – nah, I’m singing as per the excellent acoustic version here at YouTube. And if you need totty inspiration, Joe happens to look particularly gorgeous in the video.)
Am also feeling distinctly middle-aged today, after realising that most of the men in my personal totty gallery are the wrong side of 40. (Antonio Banderas, David Duchovny, Charlie Sheen, Rufus Sewell. And that's not even starting on my musical heroes - Robert Plant, David Coverdale, Joe Elliott, David Gilmour - all of whom have voices that just MELT me.) Had to cheer myself up with a CD binge. (Not confessing to how many. All I will say is that four of them weren't actually for me. Oh, dear.)
Listening to: Def Leppard (am enjoying Sparkle Lounge)
Reading: (see yesterday, sigh)
Dog is not happy that the kids have gone back to school. Currently, we have no carpets upstairs, and he keeps running upstairs to see if they’re in their rooms. Patter, patter, patter – thud, as he lands on a bed. Then it’s another thud as he jumps off their beds, disgruntled. (That, or he’s pogoing...) And as for going on his bed in the kitchen when I’m doing the school run – ha. He rushes past and sits by the front door, all hopeful. By next week, with any luck, he’ll be used to the routine again; in the meantime, he’s driving me slightly bananas and I’ve asked DH to put the stair gate back on.
Plan for today – see accountant, then struggle on with revisions.
Sigh. I hate revisions. (I know it makes the book better. I know that I'm not perfect. I still hate revisions.)
I do however have an outlet for the frustration, in the form of the chords for ‘When Love and Hate Collide’ - which just so happens to be in my vocal range. (Not the studio version, which is a stretch and I have to do the chorus an octave lower – nah, I’m singing as per the excellent acoustic version here at YouTube. And if you need totty inspiration, Joe happens to look particularly gorgeous in the video.)
Am also feeling distinctly middle-aged today, after realising that most of the men in my personal totty gallery are the wrong side of 40. (Antonio Banderas, David Duchovny, Charlie Sheen, Rufus Sewell. And that's not even starting on my musical heroes - Robert Plant, David Coverdale, Joe Elliott, David Gilmour - all of whom have voices that just MELT me.) Had to cheer myself up with a CD binge. (Not confessing to how many. All I will say is that four of them weren't actually for me. Oh, dear.)
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
sunset
Current work: revisions
Listening to: Def Leppard in the car and Vivaldi cello concerti at work
Reading: (well, I would, but someone has moved my TBR pile to the spare room - and there’s gloss paint everywhere so Clumsy Kate has to wait until it’s dry before venturing in, growl)
Guitar yesterday – well, I was pretty rusty. Need to do ten minutes a day, really. Dad was quite chirpy and it was a nice visit. And I think I know what I’m doing now with the book.
It was a really hot evening, so DH decreed that we had to have a barbecue for dinner. The evenings seem to be drawing in much more quickly, now the children are back. And the sunset last night was quite spectacular. 
Plan for today: revisions. And today’s lunchtime treat is Nigel Slater’s column about berries in this month’s Sainsbury’s magazine. (Hmm. Maybe I should save that for tomorrow as a carrot for working hard…)
Listening to: Def Leppard in the car and Vivaldi cello concerti at work
Reading: (well, I would, but someone has moved my TBR pile to the spare room - and there’s gloss paint everywhere so Clumsy Kate has to wait until it’s dry before venturing in, growl)
Guitar yesterday – well, I was pretty rusty. Need to do ten minutes a day, really. Dad was quite chirpy and it was a nice visit. And I think I know what I’m doing now with the book.
It was a really hot evening, so DH decreed that we had to have a barbecue for dinner. The evenings seem to be drawing in much more quickly, now the children are back. And the sunset last night was quite spectacular.
Plan for today: revisions. And today’s lunchtime treat is Nigel Slater’s column about berries in this month’s Sainsbury’s magazine. (Hmm. Maybe I should save that for tomorrow as a carrot for working hard…)
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
settling in again
Current work: revisions – in between guitar and visiting Dad
Listening to: Corelli
Reading: next on TBR pile…
It’s definitely heading for autumn; several of the trees are already turning, and there’s that scent in the air I always associate with the new school year. I was a bit twitchy all day yesterday (over-anxious clucky mother), but when I met the kids from school and they were both bubbling I was able to relax again. It’s good to know that they’re settling in, and they were both delighted to catch up with their friends. Daughter enjoyed showing off her spectacular bruise (from playing football on Sunday evening and falling flat on her face - banged herself really hard, bless her, and I had to use antiseptic on scraped knees and elbows).
Today is my first guitar lesson for – oh, about two months. I have not been a good girl on the practising front. So today’s plan is to mosey in, greet Jim with a big hug, and brazen it out. (I think he probably knows, because he probably asked DH at his last lesson…) This afternoon, am visiting Dad. Hopefully he’ll be out the other side of his blip; if not, at least the children won’t be with me.
And in between are revisions. I know I’m upping the emotional ante, but… I dunno. This is the usual ‘doubt’ stage. It’ll come together - but I do wish my time wasn’t quite so squeezed, this week.
Listening to: Corelli
Reading: next on TBR pile…
It’s definitely heading for autumn; several of the trees are already turning, and there’s that scent in the air I always associate with the new school year. I was a bit twitchy all day yesterday (over-anxious clucky mother), but when I met the kids from school and they were both bubbling I was able to relax again. It’s good to know that they’re settling in, and they were both delighted to catch up with their friends. Daughter enjoyed showing off her spectacular bruise (from playing football on Sunday evening and falling flat on her face - banged herself really hard, bless her, and I had to use antiseptic on scraped knees and elbows).
Today is my first guitar lesson for – oh, about two months. I have not been a good girl on the practising front. So today’s plan is to mosey in, greet Jim with a big hug, and brazen it out. (I think he probably knows, because he probably asked DH at his last lesson…) This afternoon, am visiting Dad. Hopefully he’ll be out the other side of his blip; if not, at least the children won’t be with me.
And in between are revisions. I know I’m upping the emotional ante, but… I dunno. This is the usual ‘doubt’ stage. It’ll come together - but I do wish my time wasn’t quite so squeezed, this week.
Monday, September 07, 2009
coffee break and conundrum
Current work: yeehah, back to work! (that deserves a screamer)
Listening to: Bach (nice, calm, regular - ahhhh)
Reading: Louise Allen, The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst (finished and enjoyed. Now have to hunt down my TBR stash because lovely husband moved it. Wouldn’t be so bad, but no painting has been done in our bedroom, so his excuse for moving my books doesn’t actually hold water…)
Back to school today. Well, daughter goes first thing, and son goes mid-morning – so this means today’s schedule is going to switch round to minimise disruption. I am in major work mode until revisions are done, so I’m going to leave you with a little conundrum (courtesy of Michelle, who knows I love this sort of thing). Sit in a chair and move your right foot in clockwise circles. Now draw a number six with your right hand (NB start at the top of the six, not the middle) while still moving your right foot in a clockwise circle.
Some people can do it, with a bit of effort – but most people find their foot moving in an anticlockwise direction, i.e. the way their hand goes (this is why I said start at the top - if you start at the middle you're going clockwise). According to psychologist David Rosenbaum, this is because your brain is programmed to work best with isodirectional movements (i.e. both movements going the same way) rather than non-isodirectional movements; both the left and right hemispheres of the brain are needed for co-ordinated muscle movements.
And now a little something for your coffee break – test your reactions with the BBC sheep. (Thanks to Maggie Kingsley for that one.)
I was supposed to be working on Saturday, but it was so nice to have the house to myself and proper thinking space for the first time in weeks that... OK, I was a bad puppy. I did the BBC’s quiz re ‘what kind of thinker are you?’. I didn’t know what the categories were before I did the quiz (which is a good thing because it means my answers weren’t affected by what I thought the likely outcome would be), and I was slightly surprised to discover that I’m a musical thinker. Then again, I do use music as a soundtrack to my work, so maybe it’s not so odd. I’d be fascinated to know – what kind of thinker are you? Do come back and share.
Listening to: Bach (nice, calm, regular - ahhhh)
Reading: Louise Allen, The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst (finished and enjoyed. Now have to hunt down my TBR stash because lovely husband moved it. Wouldn’t be so bad, but no painting has been done in our bedroom, so his excuse for moving my books doesn’t actually hold water…)
Back to school today. Well, daughter goes first thing, and son goes mid-morning – so this means today’s schedule is going to switch round to minimise disruption. I am in major work mode until revisions are done, so I’m going to leave you with a little conundrum (courtesy of Michelle, who knows I love this sort of thing). Sit in a chair and move your right foot in clockwise circles. Now draw a number six with your right hand (NB start at the top of the six, not the middle) while still moving your right foot in a clockwise circle.
Some people can do it, with a bit of effort – but most people find their foot moving in an anticlockwise direction, i.e. the way their hand goes (this is why I said start at the top - if you start at the middle you're going clockwise). According to psychologist David Rosenbaum, this is because your brain is programmed to work best with isodirectional movements (i.e. both movements going the same way) rather than non-isodirectional movements; both the left and right hemispheres of the brain are needed for co-ordinated muscle movements.
And now a little something for your coffee break – test your reactions with the BBC sheep. (Thanks to Maggie Kingsley for that one.)
I was supposed to be working on Saturday, but it was so nice to have the house to myself and proper thinking space for the first time in weeks that... OK, I was a bad puppy. I did the BBC’s quiz re ‘what kind of thinker are you?’. I didn’t know what the categories were before I did the quiz (which is a good thing because it means my answers weren’t affected by what I thought the likely outcome would be), and I was slightly surprised to discover that I’m a musical thinker. Then again, I do use music as a soundtrack to my work, so maybe it’s not so odd. I’d be fascinated to know – what kind of thinker are you? Do come back and share.
Friday, September 04, 2009
last day of the school hols
Current work: uhhh
Listening to: probably Planet Rock
Reading: Louise Allen, The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst (or I will be, when my sleep quotient is topped up – right now head hits pillow and out like a light)
Yesterday was a bit of a pants day. Daughter had her first filling (was really brave – then wept all afternoon). Then I noticed that my back windscreen wiper wasn’t working properly, lifted it up to check if there was a problem with the blade… and it disintegrated. (Manufacturer fault, I hope – have a feeling this might be expensive).
Then, when I went to bed, I noticed that my TBR bookcase had disappeared. Cue hyperventilating. ‘Well, it has to move because we’re painting this room and the carpet had to come up. You knew this.’ Yes, but you’ve taken my books away. I need to know where they are. And if you’ve mixed them up.’ (He’s soothed my ruffled feathers, but I’m not going to look in case he’s flannelling me.)
I did get some sleep last night, though. No nightmares, no irritating husband waking with a sneezing fit and making sure I wake, too. (Am sure this is a bloke thing.)
Today: I had planned to take the kids bowling and have an indoor picnic before finishing my accounts. (Note to self – don’t EVER do the shoebox method again. Do it as and when so it doesn’t become a huge chore.) However, DH has taken the day off and decreed that we’re going to be painting – after I’ve taken my car to the dealer’s to sort out the back windscreen. And my revisions? Cue hollow laugh. Still, I’m negotiating work time so I can avoid doing the gloss paint...
Listening to: probably Planet Rock
Reading: Louise Allen, The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst (or I will be, when my sleep quotient is topped up – right now head hits pillow and out like a light)
Yesterday was a bit of a pants day. Daughter had her first filling (was really brave – then wept all afternoon). Then I noticed that my back windscreen wiper wasn’t working properly, lifted it up to check if there was a problem with the blade… and it disintegrated. (Manufacturer fault, I hope – have a feeling this might be expensive).
Then, when I went to bed, I noticed that my TBR bookcase had disappeared. Cue hyperventilating. ‘Well, it has to move because we’re painting this room and the carpet had to come up. You knew this.’ Yes, but you’ve taken my books away. I need to know where they are. And if you’ve mixed them up.’ (He’s soothed my ruffled feathers, but I’m not going to look in case he’s flannelling me.)
I did get some sleep last night, though. No nightmares, no irritating husband waking with a sneezing fit and making sure I wake, too. (Am sure this is a bloke thing.)
Today: I had planned to take the kids bowling and have an indoor picnic before finishing my accounts. (Note to self – don’t EVER do the shoebox method again. Do it as and when so it doesn’t become a huge chore.) However, DH has taken the day off and decreed that we’re going to be painting – after I’ve taken my car to the dealer’s to sort out the back windscreen. And my revisions? Cue hollow laugh. Still, I’m negotiating work time so I can avoid doing the gloss paint...
Thursday, September 03, 2009
The nicest thing about the middle of the night...
... is knowing that your friends on the opposite side of the world are awake. I've enjoyed having some "real time" conversations with my writer mates in Aussie and the US.
Why am I up in the middle of the night?
Put it this way: someone said to me yesterday that if I got up in the middle of the night and checked that the window was open, thereby waking him up, I'd be sleeping on the sofa.
So what did he do? Got up in the middle of the night. Switched on the ensuite light (with the door open, to make sure he woke me because it shines right into my eyes). Followed by an inability to get into bed quietly and turn over without bouncing - you know, the kind of whale manouvre that only a 6ft man can do. Followed by snoring - loudly.
In the end, I gave in and came downstairs to do logic problems and sudoku on the computer, and reply to emails.
I foresee someone making his own packed lunch this morning :o)
(Am not grumpy at the moment, though I might be later. It's going to be a coffee-and-paracetamol day. Especially as I'd like to finish off my accounts.)
Why am I up in the middle of the night?
Put it this way: someone said to me yesterday that if I got up in the middle of the night and checked that the window was open, thereby waking him up, I'd be sleeping on the sofa.
So what did he do? Got up in the middle of the night. Switched on the ensuite light (with the door open, to make sure he woke me because it shines right into my eyes). Followed by an inability to get into bed quietly and turn over without bouncing - you know, the kind of whale manouvre that only a 6ft man can do. Followed by snoring - loudly.
In the end, I gave in and came downstairs to do logic problems and sudoku on the computer, and reply to emails.
I foresee someone making his own packed lunch this morning :o)
(Am not grumpy at the moment, though I might be later. It's going to be a coffee-and-paracetamol day. Especially as I'd like to finish off my accounts.)
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
neglect
Current work: revisions on Med book/plotting (well – that’s what I *should* be doing)
Listening to: nothing yet as they’re all asleep
Reading: Louise Allen, The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst (still enjoying, just been too wiped to read in the evenings! And last night was lovely James May on toys. DH and I curled up together on the sofa and reminisced; I admit, it was nice to spend time with him rather than working)
Right now, I could really do with a couple of nights of uninterrupted sleep. At the moment, I’m too much of a zombie to work in the evenings. Daytimes are a bit tricky as it’s the last week of school holidays (WHY is everyone else back this week except Norfolk?) and the children are both very ready to go back (that’s parentspeak for very ready to squabble with each other). Not to mention the fact that the weekends are taken up by decorating.
I think I might have to be a bit harsh and point out that I also have a job, and I’m locking myself in my study this weekend. I’m happy to do a bit of emulsioning, but no more stain or gloss or bathroom paint that smells funny. (This is what I think is the root cause of my nightmares and subsequent sleep deprivation.)
Plan for today: as son has a friend round and will therefore ignore his sister and/or be impatient with her, littlest and I will be making cookies and brownies and whatever else makes her happy.
Revisions, accounts and the like are in a continuing state of neglect. I am thinking about them, though.
Listening to: nothing yet as they’re all asleep
Reading: Louise Allen, The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst (still enjoying, just been too wiped to read in the evenings! And last night was lovely James May on toys. DH and I curled up together on the sofa and reminisced; I admit, it was nice to spend time with him rather than working)
Right now, I could really do with a couple of nights of uninterrupted sleep. At the moment, I’m too much of a zombie to work in the evenings. Daytimes are a bit tricky as it’s the last week of school holidays (WHY is everyone else back this week except Norfolk?) and the children are both very ready to go back (that’s parentspeak for very ready to squabble with each other). Not to mention the fact that the weekends are taken up by decorating.
I think I might have to be a bit harsh and point out that I also have a job, and I’m locking myself in my study this weekend. I’m happy to do a bit of emulsioning, but no more stain or gloss or bathroom paint that smells funny. (This is what I think is the root cause of my nightmares and subsequent sleep deprivation.)
Plan for today: as son has a friend round and will therefore ignore his sister and/or be impatient with her, littlest and I will be making cookies and brownies and whatever else makes her happy.
Revisions, accounts and the like are in a continuing state of neglect. I am thinking about them, though.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Happy September
Current work: revisions on Med book/plotting
Listening to: Planet Rock
Reading: Louise Allen, The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst (still enjoying, just been too wiped to read in the evenings!)
Happy September – and here’s this month’s calendar pic. Quite appropriate for the book that's out later this month...
Listening to: Planet Rock
Reading: Louise Allen, The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst (still enjoying, just been too wiped to read in the evenings!)
Happy September – and here’s this month’s calendar pic. Quite appropriate for the book that's out later this month...
We spent the weekend (including the bank holiday) painting. The idea was, the kids were going to join us. Except Chloe couldn’t quite get the hang of using the roller, and son… Well. You need to get a kid with ADHD to repeat instructions back to you. DH failed to do this when he asked son to start at the bottom of the slope under the stairs and work his way backwards, going horizontally so he wouldn’t end up covered in paint. You can guess what happened next…
Anyway. The hall, landing and stairs are now done, including ceilings, gloss and stain on the stairs. The main bathroom is done (and, bah, DH made me do the gloss – plus the special paint for bathrooms smells utterly foul). Madam’s room is done (and she’s very pleased with the colour). So we’re halfway there. Three bedrooms and the ensuite to go. (Though this is taking longer than I expected. Whereas we used to be able to do the decorating from 7am to 10pm and still feel bright and chirpy, nowadays it’s 9am to 6pm and then I’ve definitely had enough: sort dinner, fall into bath, and then slide into zombie mode. I’m in my early forties. I shouldn’t have to start slowing down yet, surely?)
Woke at stupid o’clock with a bad dream (probably caused by paint fumes). Rather than lie there, fidgeting until DH was awake, I went downstairs and spent a while coding my website. So today it’s actually up to date. There’s a new recipe up plus an excerpt for the book that’s out in 17 days’ time – Temporary Boss, Permanent Mistress, aka the Northern Lights/reindeer book – and more information about Good Girl or Gold Digger?, aka the fairground book. There are also new reviews of various books (and thank you to the reviewers who made such positive comments).
I will be better in future about updates, because I am organised again: I’ve gone back to using Lotus Organiser, which is still far and away the best for me. This week is the last week of school hols; so next week I’m going back to a proper routine. I’ve scheduled in exercise, and I’ve scheduled in breaks. And I’ve scheduled in time for the net, which means I should be productive rather than wasting time. My to-do list is on track, and I know what I’m doing.
However, I want to get my revisions done this week, so I can start next week with a clean slate. I also want to finish my accounts. Chances of doing it? Hmm.
Plan for today: into town to pick up a blackout blind for son’s room and a new lampshade for Madam; visit Dad; run some errands. And then hopefully I can start my revisions tonight, after dinner…
Friday, August 28, 2009
My life according to Led Zeppelin
Current work: revisions on Med book/plotting
Listening to: Led Zeppelin, Presence (very underrated: Tea For One does it for me every time)
Reading: Louise Allen, The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst (still wonderful.)
Righty. I am a bit hopeless when it comes to social media. Do I update Facebook and MySpace? Not as often as I should (so if you’re waiting for me to accept a friend request, prod me here). Do I Twitter? Not on your life! (Too 1984 for me. Apart from the fact that I’d rather be writing than telling people I’ve done six words in the last ten days… Nope. Looks like a major time stealer to me.)
However, this particular meme was irresistible – from my mate Jan Jones. I was a good girl and posted it on Facebook, but at this stage of the school hols I’m in lazy mare mode. And as today’s big task involves two children and the shoe shop (sob), and I’m probably emulsioning walls this weekend (also sob, because DH is unlikely to relinquish control of the stereo), I’m posting it here, too. Not tagging anyone in particular, but if you fancy doing it (or you're one of the people I tagged on Facebook because I thought you'd enjoy it, too), please stick a link in the comments so enquiring minds (aka Kate Nosy Hardy) can come and see. Or do it in a comment, if you like. I'm soooo chilled right now.
Here are the rules: Using only song NAMES from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to 15 people you like and include me. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "My life according to (band name)".
Listening to: Led Zeppelin, Presence (very underrated: Tea For One does it for me every time)
Reading: Louise Allen, The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst (still wonderful.)
Righty. I am a bit hopeless when it comes to social media. Do I update Facebook and MySpace? Not as often as I should (so if you’re waiting for me to accept a friend request, prod me here). Do I Twitter? Not on your life! (Too 1984 for me. Apart from the fact that I’d rather be writing than telling people I’ve done six words in the last ten days… Nope. Looks like a major time stealer to me.)
However, this particular meme was irresistible – from my mate Jan Jones. I was a good girl and posted it on Facebook, but at this stage of the school hols I’m in lazy mare mode. And as today’s big task involves two children and the shoe shop (sob), and I’m probably emulsioning walls this weekend (also sob, because DH is unlikely to relinquish control of the stereo), I’m posting it here, too. Not tagging anyone in particular, but if you fancy doing it (or you're one of the people I tagged on Facebook because I thought you'd enjoy it, too), please stick a link in the comments so enquiring minds (aka Kate Nosy Hardy) can come and see. Or do it in a comment, if you like. I'm soooo chilled right now.
Here are the rules: Using only song NAMES from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to 15 people you like and include me. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "My life according to (band name)".
- Pick your Artist: Led Zeppelin
- Are you a male or female?: Living Loving Maid
- Describe yourself: Fool in the Rain
- How do you feel: Dazed and Confused [hey, I’m doing revisions…]
- Describe where you currently live: In The Light
- If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Kashmir
- Your favourite form of transportation: Night Flight
- Your best friend is: Over the Hills and Far Away [all right, so Norfolk is “very flat”, but London is 2 hours from here!]
- You and your best friends are: Out on the Tiles
- What's the weather like: White Summer
- Favourite time of day: In the Evening
- If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: Stairway to Heaven
- What is life to you: Celebration Day
- Your last relationship: Communication Breakdown
- Your current relationship: Whole Lotta Love
- Your fear: No Quarter
- What is the best advice you have to give: We’re Gonna Groove
- Thought for the Day: Nobody’s Fault but Mine
- How I would like to die: In My Time of Dying
- Looking for: The Ocean
If you could change your name, you would change it to: Tangerine - Wouldn’t mind: Tea for One [especially if there’s cake involved – remember, I’m doing revisions]
- My soul's present condition: Ramble On
- Most Faithful Companion: Hot Dog [I nearly chose ‘Black Dog’, but as he’s liver-and-white…]
- My motto: The Song Remains the Same
Enjoy - and have a lovely bank hol.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
the importance of colour
Current work: revisions on Med book
Listening to: Kansas
Reading: Louise Allen, The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst (fantastic, so far – but then again, Louise never disappoints. Maybe should’ve saved this one as a carrot for doing revisions.)
Took the kids to see G-Force yesterday. Not bad, but we won’t be rushing out to get the DVD.
When DH came home, we went shopping for paint and I discovered to my dismay that Homebase no longer stocks Soft Jade. It’s still on the Dulux website; however, it’s not one of the ‘new’ colours, so I suppose that was why it wasn’t on the shelves. Too much of a faff to have the colour made up for us, so we picked another shade, which is a little darker (‘Blue Reflection’ – a pale teal) and came home to check it out: it’s also in the ‘calm blues’ section, so it should be fine (and, more importantly, work with my new duvet covers).
I could be a bit flaky here and talk about colour psychology. I did some quite interesting research on the subject for magazine articles, a few years back, and how colours can influence mood. I discovered a couple of articles yesterday which claim that yellow is not a good colour for walls. Apparently, babies cry more in yellow rooms, and people are more likely to argue in yellow rooms. There wasn’t any research in the article to back up the claims, though it’s probably linked to the idea of yellow being a mental stimulus. (Hmm. Had it been my article, I would’ve had an expert quote to back it up, and/or a reference to a research paper, because that statement needed qualifying. It’s also too sweeping, because the effect of the colour depends on the shade of yellow and the quality of the daylight in the room – whether it’s morning or afternoon light, plus the room’s orientation. Not to mention the fact that it looks different again at night, and that depends on the way the room’s lit – whether it’s harsh overhead light or muted by table lamps/use of uplighters. And it also depends on the colour of your furniture and flooring.)
We’ve chosen ‘Egyptian Sand’, which is pretty much what it says on the tin: a soft, sandy yellow. I think it makes the rooms feel large, warm and welcoming during the day, and cosy at night. (White ceiling, light oak flooring, terracotta soft furnishings with cushions to match the walls.)
Also arranged to swap the paint DH bought: the dreadful indigo is no more, and son chose a more sensible shade. (DH is trying to brazen it out, but he knows it was a mad decision and it will go down in family legend.) I guess I’m lucky son didn’t spot the metallic shades and ask for one of those. (Hmm. They were just starting to be trendy when I used to write for First Home, at the beginning of the decade. Am a bit surprised they’re still in.)
Other than that, lovely ed came back to me with revisions. It’s nice to be getting back to work; however, I must ignore the fact that I know she’s on holiday next week, or it will tempt me to be a lazy mare and do absolutely nothing for a few more days. I know it would be far more sensible to ease myself back in to work (and start using Lotus Organizer again, working to schedules and timetables - otherwise, tasks expand to fill the space and you don't get as much done). Just as I’m tweaking bedtime to get the kids back to sensible school bedtimes by Sept 4...
Plan for today: think about how I’m going to restructure the book, and maybe take the kids bowling. And I’m going to try a slightly different way of plotting – the sticky notes on a blank wall thing. Except I lose bits of paper (dog brushes against board, wags his tail, and sticky notes go missing), so I’m going use text boxes in Word. If I use a highlight on the text, I'll be able to see what I’m doing in two-page view – i.e. the same effect as using different coloured notes – and be able to shuffle things round. Not sure if it’s going to work for me (my instinct tells me it's likely to make me structure things with my head rather than my heart), but it’ll be good for me to work outside the box and try something different. And if it doesn't work, that's fine: I'll go back to my usual way of plotting.
Question of the day: how do you tackle plotting?
Listening to: Kansas
Reading: Louise Allen, The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst (fantastic, so far – but then again, Louise never disappoints. Maybe should’ve saved this one as a carrot for doing revisions.)
Took the kids to see G-Force yesterday. Not bad, but we won’t be rushing out to get the DVD.
When DH came home, we went shopping for paint and I discovered to my dismay that Homebase no longer stocks Soft Jade. It’s still on the Dulux website; however, it’s not one of the ‘new’ colours, so I suppose that was why it wasn’t on the shelves. Too much of a faff to have the colour made up for us, so we picked another shade, which is a little darker (‘Blue Reflection’ – a pale teal) and came home to check it out: it’s also in the ‘calm blues’ section, so it should be fine (and, more importantly, work with my new duvet covers).
I could be a bit flaky here and talk about colour psychology. I did some quite interesting research on the subject for magazine articles, a few years back, and how colours can influence mood. I discovered a couple of articles yesterday which claim that yellow is not a good colour for walls. Apparently, babies cry more in yellow rooms, and people are more likely to argue in yellow rooms. There wasn’t any research in the article to back up the claims, though it’s probably linked to the idea of yellow being a mental stimulus. (Hmm. Had it been my article, I would’ve had an expert quote to back it up, and/or a reference to a research paper, because that statement needed qualifying. It’s also too sweeping, because the effect of the colour depends on the shade of yellow and the quality of the daylight in the room – whether it’s morning or afternoon light, plus the room’s orientation. Not to mention the fact that it looks different again at night, and that depends on the way the room’s lit – whether it’s harsh overhead light or muted by table lamps/use of uplighters. And it also depends on the colour of your furniture and flooring.)
We’ve chosen ‘Egyptian Sand’, which is pretty much what it says on the tin: a soft, sandy yellow. I think it makes the rooms feel large, warm and welcoming during the day, and cosy at night. (White ceiling, light oak flooring, terracotta soft furnishings with cushions to match the walls.)
Also arranged to swap the paint DH bought: the dreadful indigo is no more, and son chose a more sensible shade. (DH is trying to brazen it out, but he knows it was a mad decision and it will go down in family legend.) I guess I’m lucky son didn’t spot the metallic shades and ask for one of those. (Hmm. They were just starting to be trendy when I used to write for First Home, at the beginning of the decade. Am a bit surprised they’re still in.)
Other than that, lovely ed came back to me with revisions. It’s nice to be getting back to work; however, I must ignore the fact that I know she’s on holiday next week, or it will tempt me to be a lazy mare and do absolutely nothing for a few more days. I know it would be far more sensible to ease myself back in to work (and start using Lotus Organizer again, working to schedules and timetables - otherwise, tasks expand to fill the space and you don't get as much done). Just as I’m tweaking bedtime to get the kids back to sensible school bedtimes by Sept 4...
Plan for today: think about how I’m going to restructure the book, and maybe take the kids bowling. And I’m going to try a slightly different way of plotting – the sticky notes on a blank wall thing. Except I lose bits of paper (dog brushes against board, wags his tail, and sticky notes go missing), so I’m going use text boxes in Word. If I use a highlight on the text, I'll be able to see what I’m doing in two-page view – i.e. the same effect as using different coloured notes – and be able to shuffle things round. Not sure if it’s going to work for me (my instinct tells me it's likely to make me structure things with my head rather than my heart), but it’ll be good for me to work outside the box and try something different. And if it doesn't work, that's fine: I'll go back to my usual way of plotting.
Question of the day: how do you tackle plotting?
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Name that book?
Current work: still officially en vacances (i.e. awaiting verdicts – on new book, from lovely ed; and on outlines, sent to lovely agent)
Listening to: Chopin (am in French mode, now…)
Reading: Sarah Mayberry, Burning Up (enjoyed this one. Still think my fave of hers is Anything For You)
Over at the RNA blog yesterday, Leah commented about my office companion and then asked me if I knew which book she was talking about.
“The father of the heroine freezes to death (on purpose), she's see's him going out to do it and he tells her to go back inside/leave, it could have been a flashback and I'm sure it's a chick lit book!”
It doesn’t ring a bell with me (the only one I can remember with snow is lovely Katie Fforde’s “Highland Fling”, and it isn’t that one). Does anyone else recognise it? Please let me know in the comments if you do, because a) I promised I'd ask and b) I’m intrigued now…
Had a lazyish day, yesterday. Visited Dad and it was the nicest visit for ages – one of those I can store up as a good memory to set against the darker ones. Today may be cinema or bowling, depending on what time the shopping arrives.
Tonight, we have to go and buy paint. Specifically, we have to take back one tin (what on EARTH was DH thinking, buying indigo paint for son’s bedroom walls? It’s small enough as it is – it’ll feel like a matchbox, painted a colour that dark) and buy the rest of the paint for the hallway, living room and dining room. We need to get this sorted and the carpets up within the next three weeks, so you can guess what I’ll be doing, this weekend. (Not gloss, though. Am not allowed to do that because am too hopeless.)
We also need new bedlinen. It would be wonderful to have pure white linen, as we did on holiday, but a) this would mean ironing duvet covers (what a waste of good writing time – properly folded and with a decent pattern, you can get away with being a bit of a slattern) and b) it’s not a sensible choice when you have a dog who sneaks upstairs for a cuddle at weekends when you stay in bed to read (by this I mean after 6.30am but before 9am – am not that lazy). He usually rushes past daughter, as she’s a pushover and won’t check that his paws are dry first. I would have to spend so much time scrubbing out muddy pawprints... No. Cool, crisp elegance is out of the question. (This is why I write. My heroines can have the high-maintenance stuff.)
Given that our walls are soft jade and the new carpet will be a similar colour to the present one (mid blue-grey), I probably should be looking at duck-egg blue and the like. Given that I haven’t seen anything that’s grabbed me in ages, I decided to do an online browse before dragging the kids shopping. Sadly, my usual shortlist of shops – Laura Ashley, Marks, John Lewis, Debenhams and House of Fraser – let me down. Then it occurred to me to look up my favourite manufacturers to see if there were other stockists who might have a wider range. Thanks to this, I discovered something new: V&A bedlinens. (As in V&A museum.)
I found a particularly gorgeous design called ‘blossom’, which was inspired by a length of 19th-century Chinese blue velvet. It’s possibly not a conventional colour scheme, but I think heathery purple goes quite nicely with soft jade. (I could also argue a case for claret – there was a Dorma one in burgundy that really tempted me, but one of the reviews said it had an embossed pattern on the pillowcases. Shame: I’m a bit princessy about mattresses and pillows, and I’m a bit the same about bedlinen – smooth and with a high thread count, please.)
The stockist had a fabulous range, which you could explore by colour or by style, i.e. modern, floral, stripes, and the category I really liked – ‘elegant’. I’m sniggering even at the thought, because I’m the least elegant person I know. However. We have three nice sets, now (duck-egg/aqua, pistachio, and the heathery one) and it worked out at three for the price of one, so I'm pleased with my bargains.
Am having a bit of a piano-fest at the moment. Daughter has taught herself the Do-Re-Mi song and is driving us all potty with it. I’m playing Chopin and Satie – yup, French music. Because one of my heroines in the French duo plays. You have to have a baby grand in a chateau, don’t you? Even if it’s been under dust covers for 10 years...
Listening to: Chopin (am in French mode, now…)
Reading: Sarah Mayberry, Burning Up (enjoyed this one. Still think my fave of hers is Anything For You)
Over at the RNA blog yesterday, Leah commented about my office companion and then asked me if I knew which book she was talking about.
“The father of the heroine freezes to death (on purpose), she's see's him going out to do it and he tells her to go back inside/leave, it could have been a flashback and I'm sure it's a chick lit book!”
It doesn’t ring a bell with me (the only one I can remember with snow is lovely Katie Fforde’s “Highland Fling”, and it isn’t that one). Does anyone else recognise it? Please let me know in the comments if you do, because a) I promised I'd ask and b) I’m intrigued now…
Had a lazyish day, yesterday. Visited Dad and it was the nicest visit for ages – one of those I can store up as a good memory to set against the darker ones. Today may be cinema or bowling, depending on what time the shopping arrives.
Tonight, we have to go and buy paint. Specifically, we have to take back one tin (what on EARTH was DH thinking, buying indigo paint for son’s bedroom walls? It’s small enough as it is – it’ll feel like a matchbox, painted a colour that dark) and buy the rest of the paint for the hallway, living room and dining room. We need to get this sorted and the carpets up within the next three weeks, so you can guess what I’ll be doing, this weekend. (Not gloss, though. Am not allowed to do that because am too hopeless.)
We also need new bedlinen. It would be wonderful to have pure white linen, as we did on holiday, but a) this would mean ironing duvet covers (what a waste of good writing time – properly folded and with a decent pattern, you can get away with being a bit of a slattern) and b) it’s not a sensible choice when you have a dog who sneaks upstairs for a cuddle at weekends when you stay in bed to read (by this I mean after 6.30am but before 9am – am not that lazy). He usually rushes past daughter, as she’s a pushover and won’t check that his paws are dry first. I would have to spend so much time scrubbing out muddy pawprints... No. Cool, crisp elegance is out of the question. (This is why I write. My heroines can have the high-maintenance stuff.)
Given that our walls are soft jade and the new carpet will be a similar colour to the present one (mid blue-grey), I probably should be looking at duck-egg blue and the like. Given that I haven’t seen anything that’s grabbed me in ages, I decided to do an online browse before dragging the kids shopping. Sadly, my usual shortlist of shops – Laura Ashley, Marks, John Lewis, Debenhams and House of Fraser – let me down. Then it occurred to me to look up my favourite manufacturers to see if there were other stockists who might have a wider range. Thanks to this, I discovered something new: V&A bedlinens. (As in V&A museum.)
I found a particularly gorgeous design called ‘blossom’, which was inspired by a length of 19th-century Chinese blue velvet. It’s possibly not a conventional colour scheme, but I think heathery purple goes quite nicely with soft jade. (I could also argue a case for claret – there was a Dorma one in burgundy that really tempted me, but one of the reviews said it had an embossed pattern on the pillowcases. Shame: I’m a bit princessy about mattresses and pillows, and I’m a bit the same about bedlinen – smooth and with a high thread count, please.)
The stockist had a fabulous range, which you could explore by colour or by style, i.e. modern, floral, stripes, and the category I really liked – ‘elegant’. I’m sniggering even at the thought, because I’m the least elegant person I know. However. We have three nice sets, now (duck-egg/aqua, pistachio, and the heathery one) and it worked out at three for the price of one, so I'm pleased with my bargains.
Am having a bit of a piano-fest at the moment. Daughter has taught herself the Do-Re-Mi song and is driving us all potty with it. I’m playing Chopin and Satie – yup, French music. Because one of my heroines in the French duo plays. You have to have a baby grand in a chateau, don’t you? Even if it’s been under dust covers for 10 years...
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
My office companion...
... has managed to get a part in quite a few of my books.
And he's starring in his own post over at the RNA blog today. Do go over and tell me about your office companion.
(As for real life: it's school holidays, it's sticky and humid, and apparently we have wind and storms to look forward to later today. So that's no barbecue tonight, then...)
And he's starring in his own post over at the RNA blog today. Do go over and tell me about your office companion.
(As for real life: it's school holidays, it's sticky and humid, and apparently we have wind and storms to look forward to later today. So that's no barbecue tonight, then...)
Monday, August 24, 2009
And elsewhere today
Nearly forgot (mainly because internet connection was playing up last night) - I'm blogging over at the Pink Heart Society today in their Male on Monday slot. Do go over and feast your eyes. :o)
Lovely, lovely Essex
Current work: back en vacances (and trying not to bite my nails awaiting revisions - and, yes, I know I should be working on my outlines or it'll cause me a crazy deadline)
And look at this beautiful carving on one of the Norman fireplaces.
(The mail was heavy. The mail at Cressing, later in the afternoon, was even heavier.) His sister has been reading the Narnia books and was desperate for a bow and arrow…
It also has a rare Norman wheel window.
Listening to: John Martyn
Reading: next on TBR
It's been a busy weekend. On Friday, I took the kids bowling, which was great fun. Also booked tickets for Grease in the October half term. Madam is hugely excited because we’re going with her godmother, we’re staying overnight in London (her first time) AND it’s her first ever West End evening performance. (Actually, I think it might be mine, too – the Theatre Royal in Norwich is excellent and we used to get shows before they went to London, so it made sense to see them locally. I did see The Cherry Orchard during my A levels – with wonderful Frank Finlay – but I’m pretty sure that was a matinee performance.) So I am currently the best mummy in the whole wide world. (Kate polishes halo.)
Saturday was spent on my nonfic, and Sunday was a research day on the same book. We had a fabulous time. First we went to Castle Hedingham.
It belonged to the de Vere family (Earl of Oxford) for many, many years. It’s seen lots of sieges and murders (which I’m busy researching for the spooks book).
It also has the largest Norman arch in England (28 feet across, seen here from the minstrels’ gallery. And no, I didn’t misbehave. There were other people there – otherwise, I admit, I might’ve started singing something medieval. It gave me that kind of feeling).
And look at this beautiful carving on one of the Norman fireplaces. We really enjoyed looking round. And someone enjoyed the chance of trying on some knightly apparel.
(The mail was heavy. The mail at Cressing, later in the afternoon, was even heavier.) His sister has been reading the Narnia books and was desperate for a bow and arrow… This book also involves a bit of churchcrawling. So that was the next stop: St Nicholas’s church in Castle Hedingham. It’s quite unusual as it has three original Norman doors, with original ironwork. The south door is the ‘skin door’ (so called because it was an Essex tradition to nail the skin of a robber to the church door, as a warning - and when this one was restored in the 19th century, they did indeed find traces of human skin...).
It also has a rare Norman wheel window.We went to a couple more churches (involving priories that have been razed to the ground, and sadly the churches were locked – apparently there have been a spare of burglaries in the Colne area. Maybe someone should take them to Castle Hedingham and show them what used to happen to robbers…).
And then we went to Cressing Preceptory. The wheat and barley barns there are among the oldest Templar buildings in England and are also the oldest timber-framed barns in Europe. (This is the wheat barn.)
And finally we went to Little Horkesley. There’s nothing left of the priory now, and the church was bombed in the Blitz. But guess what survived?
Yup. Rare 13th-century wooden effigies. I loved these. I think they might be the oldest ones I’ve seen, and the carving was just beautiful. You can’t see it here, but the detail on the legs was stunning. (I rather liked the lion, too.)
Overall – more pics added to book, more atmosphere soaked up, and we had a lovely family day out. Nice to be in the pretty part of my birth county. I have more trips planned; one involves Maldon (I took my first steps there) and from there to where my family is on my mum’s side, so my research team is going to grow a little bit for that one (aka bestest aunty and uncle joining us for a wander round and a cafe visit). Am also planning to visit Little Dunmow, where my grandmother was christened – actually, the trips around that area will involve visiting other churches with family connections. Kind of like ‘Who do you think you are?’ – except I know who I am, on Dad's side. The eleventh generation of farming stock. (Am married to a farmer and spent my holidays at uni working for a local grain merchant, so I think that counts…) My mum's side is trickier, so am going to have to sit down with my aunts and uncles and see what I can piece together. (If I can get it back to 1911, I'm fine - I can use the census and parish records. It's the latest bit that's trickier.)
Friday, August 21, 2009
it’s Friday already?
Current work: still en vacances (except my characters are talking and words are starting to sneak on to the word processor - bad, because I haven't agreed outlines yet)
Listening to: Katie Melua
Reading: next on TBR
How? This is the tail end of school hols (two weeks to go) so it usually starts to slow down now. How come time is zooming?
Oh, duh. It's because I've spent two days doing nightmare proofs. That's why time's passed so quickly: am trying to blank out the last two days. (Just as well my dentist visit was earlier in the week or she would've told me off for grinding my teeth...)
The talk on Weds went fine, to my relief.; so did the carpet measuring.
Might take the kids bowling today; we have a haircut booked for this afternoon. I need to book tickets for daughter's birthday treat (I do hope they have tickets left - will do this one over the phone). Also planning a research trip this weekend for the Essex book. It's humid and horrible today, so I hope the bowling place has air-conditioning...
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
theatres, talks and displacements
Current work: still en vacances (oh, all right, I’m doing the outline of the second book in the French duo – but I am also having the weekly shop delivered today, the entire upstairs measured for carpets, and panicking about my talk in Great Yarmouth tonight)
Listening to: Julian Lloyd Webber (I need calming cello music because of my talk)
Reading: next on TBR (home too late last night to start reading)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was excellent. Beforehand, son and DH had been a tad grumpy about it. ‘Why do we have to get dragged along to musicals?’ Because it's a family evening out. Involves dinner, too. Stop moaning and enjoy it.
So we had dinner at Tootsie’s (chicken breast with bacon, mushroom and blue cheese… ahhh – and a healthy rocket salad, and crushed Dijon potatoes – note that I managed to sneak in a French dish *g*). And then to the theatre. Great performances all round, and the car is just stunning. (Am still trying to work out how they did the flying bit. Hydraulics? Wires? Brilliant, anyway.) It got a standing ovation. Son and DH admitted they’d enjoyed it, but are adamant they don’t want to come to more musicals. Madam looked at me. ‘So we could go to London and see Grease, then, and they won’t insist on coming with us.’ LOL. I foresee girly evenings for musicals. Son, I think, might like more serious drama. He has been banging on about wanting to see Shakespeare, but it has to be the right play and the right production. (No more mistakes like the one I made taking DH to see a version of Coriolanus set in the 1930s. Verrrry self-conscious and it put him off Shakespeare for ever.)
Am doing a talk in Great Yarmouth tonight at Books Inside, on spooks and poisoners and anything else I’ve written about Yarmouth. Need to sort the Post-It notes on my pages in case I dry up and need to remind myself.
In the meantime, am distracted by carpet measuring, working on the outline for the second book in the French duo, and I think I promised to take the kids bowling today. That, or make more cookies (but this time we’re going back to MY recipe – the one in Madam’s book yesterday was not a success. Very bland and completely the wrong texture… I mean, since when do cookies contain eggs?).
Listening to: Julian Lloyd Webber (I need calming cello music because of my talk)
Reading: next on TBR (home too late last night to start reading)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was excellent. Beforehand, son and DH had been a tad grumpy about it. ‘Why do we have to get dragged along to musicals?’ Because it's a family evening out. Involves dinner, too. Stop moaning and enjoy it.
So we had dinner at Tootsie’s (chicken breast with bacon, mushroom and blue cheese… ahhh – and a healthy rocket salad, and crushed Dijon potatoes – note that I managed to sneak in a French dish *g*). And then to the theatre. Great performances all round, and the car is just stunning. (Am still trying to work out how they did the flying bit. Hydraulics? Wires? Brilliant, anyway.) It got a standing ovation. Son and DH admitted they’d enjoyed it, but are adamant they don’t want to come to more musicals. Madam looked at me. ‘So we could go to London and see Grease, then, and they won’t insist on coming with us.’ LOL. I foresee girly evenings for musicals. Son, I think, might like more serious drama. He has been banging on about wanting to see Shakespeare, but it has to be the right play and the right production. (No more mistakes like the one I made taking DH to see a version of Coriolanus set in the 1930s. Verrrry self-conscious and it put him off Shakespeare for ever.)
Am doing a talk in Great Yarmouth tonight at Books Inside, on spooks and poisoners and anything else I’ve written about Yarmouth. Need to sort the Post-It notes on my pages in case I dry up and need to remind myself.
In the meantime, am distracted by carpet measuring, working on the outline for the second book in the French duo, and I think I promised to take the kids bowling today. That, or make more cookies (but this time we’re going back to MY recipe – the one in Madam’s book yesterday was not a success. Very bland and completely the wrong texture… I mean, since when do cookies contain eggs?).
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
dentists, theatres and diggers
Current work: still en vacances (but really working on outlines/a bit of nonfic)
Listening to: Take That
Reading: next on TBR (not really enjoying the one I’m reading now – too much reliance on coincidence, plus I tend to find novels about novelists a bit solipsistic. The writing’s good but the plot doesn’t work for me. And no, not naming it because I know how much hard work goes into writing a book and how I feel when I come across a negative review of mine: not going to do that to someone else.)
My new dentist is absolutely lovely, so I am out of twitchy mode. (And, yay, today is last day of antibios, so I can start my wine research tomorrow.) Madam has to have a filling (about which I feel guilty, but then again I can only nag so much) and son may need a brace, but otherwise all is OK.
Tonight, we’re off to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the theatre. Am really looking forward to it and so are the kids – apparently there’s a cast of more than 100, including 11 performing dogs. My favourite song from the show is ‘Hushabye Mountain’ – you can hear the Julian Lloyd Webber cello version on Youtube (click on the link - it’s fantastic).
In the field behind us today there’s an enormous digger, a huge trench and a lot of pipes. Think they’re doing something to the water mains. Would it be courteous to tell people that you’re going to dig 10 feet away from their property? Yes. Did the water company tell us? No. Sigh. I can deal with the noise (easy – switch off my hearing aid and I don’t hear it) but I sincerely hope our water supply won’t be affected...
Listening to: Take That
Reading: next on TBR (not really enjoying the one I’m reading now – too much reliance on coincidence, plus I tend to find novels about novelists a bit solipsistic. The writing’s good but the plot doesn’t work for me. And no, not naming it because I know how much hard work goes into writing a book and how I feel when I come across a negative review of mine: not going to do that to someone else.)
My new dentist is absolutely lovely, so I am out of twitchy mode. (And, yay, today is last day of antibios, so I can start my wine research tomorrow.) Madam has to have a filling (about which I feel guilty, but then again I can only nag so much) and son may need a brace, but otherwise all is OK.
Tonight, we’re off to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the theatre. Am really looking forward to it and so are the kids – apparently there’s a cast of more than 100, including 11 performing dogs. My favourite song from the show is ‘Hushabye Mountain’ – you can hear the Julian Lloyd Webber cello version on Youtube (click on the link - it’s fantastic).
In the field behind us today there’s an enormous digger, a huge trench and a lot of pipes. Think they’re doing something to the water mains. Would it be courteous to tell people that you’re going to dig 10 feet away from their property? Yes. Did the water company tell us? No. Sigh. I can deal with the noise (easy – switch off my hearing aid and I don’t hear it) but I sincerely hope our water supply won’t be affected...
Monday, August 17, 2009
stained glass and IHP
Current work: still en vacances (but really working on outlines/a bit of nonfic)
Listening to: Kathryn Williams
Reading: Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Ain’t She Sweet? (enjoyed this one, too)
The glass course on Saturday was really absorbing. First of all, we learned how to cut glass. Straight lines were sort of OK (I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler) – score, lift and pull up and it breaks along the score line. Curves… the teacher told us we needed to move like a skater and listen for the difference in tone. Ha. Can’t skate and can’t hear. Found that part a little tricky. (As she put it, I kept sliding off...)
Anyway, then we made our panels. We had lots of coloured glass to play with (I wussed out and used mine without cutting any of it) and make our picture. I found two half-moon shapes, and an idea bloomed in my head. (Sort of inspired by book research.) Then we had to solder the lead on our frames, glue the pieces in place, and then cement it in.
Doing the actual design and the soldering were thoroughly enjoyable. Kind of a glass collage. Getting the cement smooth, however, was a little trickier. Getting the cement off the back of the glass (smeary rather than lumps so it was easier to remove when dry) without pulling any of the cement away in between was even trickier (or just needed someone with a little more patience than I have).
But it was a good afternoon and I’d definitely do it again.
Oh, and the result? (Bear in mind that I am not artistic. Words I can do, sewing and photography I can bluff, but am too clumsy and untalented to do anything else.)
DH’s verdict: ‘I can see that’s a moon, but what’s the rest of it?’ Sigh. It’s meant to be lavender fields in moonlight with the sea beyond. (The pic hasn’t come out that well – the purple glass at the bottom is a bit brighter and that white one is streaked with pink.) The kids were nice about it, though. (Listening to them was like hearing myself praise them when they were really little - concentrating on what they did well.) Has given me much food for thought on the Venice book, and I’m very glad I did it.
Plan for today: dentist. New dentist, as mine has moved practices to be nearer home after maternity leave. I’m being brave and staying put because it’s more convenient for the kids. My old dentist was utterly wonderful and very kind, and more to the point she never once hurt me. I’m trying to convince myself that my new dentist will be just as nice. I have to be brave in front of the kids as I don’t want them to think that going to the dentist is torture. I’m very, very fidgety this morning, though, and trying not to look at the clock. Hence working on nonfic.
And IHP? I’m blogging at I Heart Presents today (US time, so that’ll be this evening in UK time and tomorrow in Aus) about Playboy Boss, Pregnancy of Passion, and where I get my ideas. Nice pics of a certain dog and some seals, so do go over and say hello…
Listening to: Kathryn Williams
Reading: Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Ain’t She Sweet? (enjoyed this one, too)
The glass course on Saturday was really absorbing. First of all, we learned how to cut glass. Straight lines were sort of OK (I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler) – score, lift and pull up and it breaks along the score line. Curves… the teacher told us we needed to move like a skater and listen for the difference in tone. Ha. Can’t skate and can’t hear. Found that part a little tricky. (As she put it, I kept sliding off...)
Anyway, then we made our panels. We had lots of coloured glass to play with (I wussed out and used mine without cutting any of it) and make our picture. I found two half-moon shapes, and an idea bloomed in my head. (Sort of inspired by book research.) Then we had to solder the lead on our frames, glue the pieces in place, and then cement it in.
Doing the actual design and the soldering were thoroughly enjoyable. Kind of a glass collage. Getting the cement smooth, however, was a little trickier. Getting the cement off the back of the glass (smeary rather than lumps so it was easier to remove when dry) without pulling any of the cement away in between was even trickier (or just needed someone with a little more patience than I have).
But it was a good afternoon and I’d definitely do it again.
Oh, and the result? (Bear in mind that I am not artistic. Words I can do, sewing and photography I can bluff, but am too clumsy and untalented to do anything else.)
DH’s verdict: ‘I can see that’s a moon, but what’s the rest of it?’ Sigh. It’s meant to be lavender fields in moonlight with the sea beyond. (The pic hasn’t come out that well – the purple glass at the bottom is a bit brighter and that white one is streaked with pink.) The kids were nice about it, though. (Listening to them was like hearing myself praise them when they were really little - concentrating on what they did well.) Has given me much food for thought on the Venice book, and I’m very glad I did it.
Plan for today: dentist. New dentist, as mine has moved practices to be nearer home after maternity leave. I’m being brave and staying put because it’s more convenient for the kids. My old dentist was utterly wonderful and very kind, and more to the point she never once hurt me. I’m trying to convince myself that my new dentist will be just as nice. I have to be brave in front of the kids as I don’t want them to think that going to the dentist is torture. I’m very, very fidgety this morning, though, and trying not to look at the clock. Hence working on nonfic.
And IHP? I’m blogging at I Heart Presents today (US time, so that’ll be this evening in UK time and tomorrow in Aus) about Playboy Boss, Pregnancy of Passion, and where I get my ideas. Nice pics of a certain dog and some seals, so do go over and say hello…
Friday, August 14, 2009
blogging elsewhere today…
Current work: en vacances (but making notes about Provence)
Listening to: don’t ask – son has decided he likes 80s pop. It’s this Rickrolling thing. Arrgh!
Reading: Kimberley Cates, The Perfect Match (enjoying this, especially the dog)
I’m over at eHarlequin today, talking about decluttering on the Medical Authors’ eharl blog. There’s a chance to win a copy of Playboy Boss, Pregnancy of Passion, so do go over and leave a comment.
Yesterday, took the kids ten-pin bowling – was fun, and I was immensely surprised to get two strikes with my first two balls. Needless to say, it went rapidly downhill from there (and I was very grateful that we had the bumper bars up). But, hey, it doesn’t matter who wins (or loses), as long as you all enjoy it.
Plan for today: into town as son has some things he wants, then possibly baking with daughter. And ice cream making.
Tomorrow, I have my glass course and I am SO looking forward to it. Have a nice weekend!
Listening to: don’t ask – son has decided he likes 80s pop. It’s this Rickrolling thing. Arrgh!
Reading: Kimberley Cates, The Perfect Match (enjoying this, especially the dog)
I’m over at eHarlequin today, talking about decluttering on the Medical Authors’ eharl blog. There’s a chance to win a copy of Playboy Boss, Pregnancy of Passion, so do go over and leave a comment.
Yesterday, took the kids ten-pin bowling – was fun, and I was immensely surprised to get two strikes with my first two balls. Needless to say, it went rapidly downhill from there (and I was very grateful that we had the bumper bars up). But, hey, it doesn’t matter who wins (or loses), as long as you all enjoy it.
Plan for today: into town as son has some things he wants, then possibly baking with daughter. And ice cream making.
Tomorrow, I have my glass course and I am SO looking forward to it. Have a nice weekend!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
meteors and wolves
Current work: en vacances (but thinking about outlines)
Listening to: Bach
Reading: Susan Mallery, Falling for Gracie (enjoying this hugely – thanks to Heidi Rice for recommending this)
Missed the meteor shower last night because when I looked it was cloudy, and my mental alarm didn’t go off (am still a bit woozy from lurgy and antibios). I remember watching this shower when son was a tiny baby: a bonus after the middle-of-the-night feed.
As for the wolves – I’m not feeling particularly profound today, so this is a bit of food for thought from an unknown source (but passed to me by Michelle – thank you).
One evening an old Cherokee Indian told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil - it is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good - it is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
perfume (again) and a question of wine…
Current work: en vacances (but thinking about outlines)
Listening to: too early for anyone else to be up yet
Reading: Victoria Connelly, Molly’s Millions (lovely, warm and gentle – great summer read, and very nice for someone who isn’t feeling very well at the moment)
Given that I overdid it on Monday, yesterday was a bit of a gentler pace in town. Dropped son at the Puppet Theatre for his workshop, then went to park the car at the other side of town (i.e. near the shops).
Lazy? Sort of. But there was a teensy problem: a bright red, sore (not ichy) rash on my inner ankle which felt holt and failed the glass test big time. Until I’d seen my GP and found out what it was and the cause, I thought it might be a good idea not to overdo things. (Yeah, yeah. All right. Kate Hardy and overdoing things go together like bread and butter.)
Anyway, Madam and I had another decadent breakfast in M&S, then continued our perfume hunt from the previous day. Thank you to everyone who suggested scents, last month – I did give them a try, but they weren’t quite for me. We did, however, discover something else: Givenchy’s Ange ou Démon. I liked both the original and the new one (which Madam and I thought had top notes of passionfruit but turned out to be cranberry). Madam is clearly shaping up to be a seriously bad influence, because she suggested I bought both... I went for the original in the end as it’s another floriental with vanilla base notes. Not that far out of my rut, but enough to make a difference.
Oh, and the rash? It’s a subcutaneous skin infection – similar to cellulitis but it’s at the early stages so antibiotics should zap it. No idea how or why I got it (probably low immune system due to lack of sleep, so that’s DH’s fault. Or mine, for marrying an owl when I’m a lark). The annoying things are that a) I feel under par and not up to doing much, and b) my planned research for the new book (involving French wine rather than my usual wine of choice, i.e. Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc or a good Pinot Grigio) is now on hold until the antibios are done.
French wine. Hmm. Now, which region? Part of me thinks I ought to stick with Provence (Grasse may or may not be important to the second book – am still working that out – and my hero/heroine can go to Nice and Cannes), or Hérault because I have at least visited the area. However, I love doing research so visiting isn’t really an issue. The Loire would work well as it has caves, chateaux and churches, and Sancerre.
Or maybe I should go for Alsace, which has a similar climate to East Anglia (and I’ve discovered there are several vineyards in Norfolk and Suffolk which do tours – oh, yessie. I love research). My hero would specialise in Pinot Gris, in that case. Possibly a rosé (because a glass of chilled dry rosé in a shady bit of the garden on a sunny summer afternoon, with Bach on the stereo and a good book, is blissful. Especially if my man is in charge of the barbecue).
So my question today is: which area seems more exotic and cosmopolitan to you, dear reader? Provence, the Loire or Alsace?
Listening to: too early for anyone else to be up yet
Reading: Victoria Connelly, Molly’s Millions (lovely, warm and gentle – great summer read, and very nice for someone who isn’t feeling very well at the moment)
Given that I overdid it on Monday, yesterday was a bit of a gentler pace in town. Dropped son at the Puppet Theatre for his workshop, then went to park the car at the other side of town (i.e. near the shops).
Lazy? Sort of. But there was a teensy problem: a bright red, sore (not ichy) rash on my inner ankle which felt holt and failed the glass test big time. Until I’d seen my GP and found out what it was and the cause, I thought it might be a good idea not to overdo things. (Yeah, yeah. All right. Kate Hardy and overdoing things go together like bread and butter.)
Anyway, Madam and I had another decadent breakfast in M&S, then continued our perfume hunt from the previous day. Thank you to everyone who suggested scents, last month – I did give them a try, but they weren’t quite for me. We did, however, discover something else: Givenchy’s Ange ou Démon. I liked both the original and the new one (which Madam and I thought had top notes of passionfruit but turned out to be cranberry). Madam is clearly shaping up to be a seriously bad influence, because she suggested I bought both... I went for the original in the end as it’s another floriental with vanilla base notes. Not that far out of my rut, but enough to make a difference.
Oh, and the rash? It’s a subcutaneous skin infection – similar to cellulitis but it’s at the early stages so antibiotics should zap it. No idea how or why I got it (probably low immune system due to lack of sleep, so that’s DH’s fault. Or mine, for marrying an owl when I’m a lark). The annoying things are that a) I feel under par and not up to doing much, and b) my planned research for the new book (involving French wine rather than my usual wine of choice, i.e. Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc or a good Pinot Grigio) is now on hold until the antibios are done.
French wine. Hmm. Now, which region? Part of me thinks I ought to stick with Provence (Grasse may or may not be important to the second book – am still working that out – and my hero/heroine can go to Nice and Cannes), or Hérault because I have at least visited the area. However, I love doing research so visiting isn’t really an issue. The Loire would work well as it has caves, chateaux and churches, and Sancerre.
Or maybe I should go for Alsace, which has a similar climate to East Anglia (and I’ve discovered there are several vineyards in Norfolk and Suffolk which do tours – oh, yessie. I love research). My hero would specialise in Pinot Gris, in that case. Possibly a rosé (because a glass of chilled dry rosé in a shady bit of the garden on a sunny summer afternoon, with Bach on the stereo and a good book, is blissful. Especially if my man is in charge of the barbecue).
So my question today is: which area seems more exotic and cosmopolitan to you, dear reader? Provence, the Loire or Alsace?
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
catching up a bit
Current work: en vacances (but thinking about outlines)
Listening to: too early for anyone else to be up yet
Reading: next on TBR (am a tad lurgified so not up to reading)
First off, belated calendar pic for the month.
DH was off, last week, so we pottered around quite a bit. We did a lot of decluttering (kids have shot up and grown out of their clothes - the wardrobe declutter is always a big one; plus I moved all the books round in my office so they’re in a better order for me. That took an entire day); visited Dad (no comment here out of respect to him, other than that I so wish this was fixable or would be easier on him); and had a lovely day out at the seaside – OK, not so much the seaside as the funfair, as Madam was itching to go. She and DH did the roller coaster and the scary rides, while son and I watched and ate doughnuts. (And I lost weight last week. So no guilt whatsoever.)
And then we went on the big wheel. 70ft up.
The views were stunning but I have to admit to feeling a bit nervous, first time round.
We had four revolutions, and I think it was pretty good value for money. And then afterwards we went and sat on the sand and watched the clouds go by. (Below is said the sand. In the distance we could see Scroby Sands; you'll have to take my word for it, as this one's a bit blurry owing to the angle from which it was taken - 70 feet up through a concave window. But that pale streak below the horizon is indeed sand.)
Thursday was admin, shopping, printing out daughter’s poems (she has commandeered the lappie), going to post office to pick up new headset for computer (I tripped over mine and broke it – arrgh, how do you learn NOT to be clumsy?), and Victoria’s book launch (see yesterday).
At the weekend, DH went to Brands Hatch to see the Superbike grand prix. Not my cuppa tea at all so I was quite happy to pack him off with a pile of goodies and his best friend. The kids and I pottered about and had a chilled-out day.
Oh, and I also discovered that I was #3 on the Waldies chart for two weeks running with Playboy Boss, Pregnancy of Passion – was absolutely thrilled to learn that. Thank you VERY much to the readers who put me there, and I hope you enjoyed Luke and Sara’s story.
Yesterday was the first part of son’s animation course, which he enjoyed; meanwhile daughter and I had breakfast at M&S (yes, I know that's decadent, but sometimes you have to do these things) and tackled the dreaded shop for school uniform and winter clothes. Repeated it for son's bits after his course. So we overdid the walking a bit (21,353 steps).
Had a lovely email conversation yesterday with my agent, who really likes the latest book, and my wonderful ed. The Venice/glass book might move again - I did have a duo sorted out for that, but it might end up being a stand-alone as my ed asked me to make the connection through the heroes rather than the heroine. Plus I've recently worked out a different duo that hits more of the buttons (but needs research). And of course there's my med inspired by Arundel... Anyway, I need to sort outlines.
Plan for today: into town, as son has the final part of his animation course. And also move carpet measuring from tomorrow to next week as I have a scratchy throat; today is going to be a lemsip and latte day to keep me going. I also need to write various blog pieces for people and answer questions - anyone who's waiting, I promise I'm doing it today!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Victoria Connelly’s book launch
Current work: (still tidying, sigh)
Listening to: too early for anyone else to be up yet
Reading: next on TBR
Lovely evening on Thursday - it's not often I get to go to a friend's book launch, because often there are logistic problems (e.g. getting to London for the evening and actually being able to get a train home, the same day) but this one was local so I was delighted to be able to make it. Daughter was going to go with me... but then decided she couldn't bear to be parted from Daddy (!).
Lovely evening on Thursday - it's not often I get to go to a friend's book launch, because often there are logistic problems (e.g. getting to London for the evening and actually being able to get a train home, the same day) but this one was local so I was delighted to be able to make it. Daughter was going to go with me... but then decided she couldn't bear to be parted from Daddy (!).
Anyway, this is the launch for my friend Victoria Connelly’s book Molly’s Millions. She gave a lovely talk about how she became a writer (ha, and how many of us also have unfinished novels from years back in the attic, then?) and it was great to see a big queue of people lining up to buy her book.
Here's the fab display that Jarrolds had for her:
Here's the fab display that Jarrolds had for her:
And Victoria giving her talk just before she sat down and signed lots of books...
Congratulations, Victoria, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as your audience did!
Friday, August 07, 2009
Sussex, part 5
Current work: en vacances
Listening to: too early for anyone else to be up yet
Reading: next on TBR (!)
On the Thursday, went to Battle to see the battlefield (i.e. 1066 – Harold vs William the Conqueror). Here, it looks so peaceful. You'd never think that this field was running with blood, 943 years ago.
We also enjoyed looking round the remains of the abbey.
I particularly liked the vaulting in the monks' common room.
And here, where the altar of the church once stood (take the "Henry VIII was a despoiler" rant as read), King Harold died. The stone marks the spot.
We wandered round the parish church a bit later and looked at the roll of people involved in the fight, and I was quite surprised to see Dad’s family name there. (However, this does not mean I am related to an old, distinguished family: on that side of the family, I've traced back 400 years and we are talking sons of the soil all the way.)
Then we went to Bodiam Castle – on the way there, we had about the only big rainstorm on the whole holiday, and it was over in ten minutes. Had a great time wandering round and climbing narrow (and very steep) spiral stairs. This is the view from the car park:
And here's the view from the entrance. (I do have a lot more pics from within, but that's with my castle geek hat on... so I won't inflict them on everyone here.)
As usual, we ended up by the sea in the evening before dinner; walked along the seafront at Hastings, then ate at Pevensey.
Pedometer reading: 17817 steps.
Friday was our last day in Sussex. With a long journey home due the next day, we decided to explore locally and went to Brighton. Saw the Pavilion from the outside but there was a huge queue to go inside; none of us could face waiting (it was blazingly hot), so we nipped into the museum next door instead. But I really would like to go back and explore properly, one day.
Then we strolled on the pier, and the kids and DH had a paddle in the sea. I wussed out because shingle beaches are so painful to walk on and the one at Brighton is steeply shelving – so I sat in the sun and watched them, letting my mind wander and musing on the gorgeous colour of the sea. This pic's from the pier: to me, this looks more like the South of France or Spain than England.
I'd love to know why the water looks so amazing on the south coast. Is it because there's more of a tide in the North Sea, or the fact that the beaches are (in the main) sand, that the sea in my part of the world always looks sand-coloured rather than like this?
Madam fulfilled a long-held ambition to go on one of the bungee trampolines, and loved every second of it. On the way back, we missed a turning with the satnav ('in 200 yards...' - and, 40 yards later, the turning has passed - why can't it just say 'next road on the left'?) and ended up on a really pretty route back to the cottage via Devil’s Dyke.
Pedometer reading: 15687 steps.
And then it was back home on the Saturday. On the way, we heard traffic news that owing to a lorry fire the M25 was closed between junctions 28 and 27 (just where we wanted to go) so we came off at J29 and nipped in to scrounge a cup of coffee from our favourite family.
I amused myself by pointing out places that are on the list for my Essex book, all the way down the A12. Obviously on the way back from holiday is NOT the time to do location shots (apart from that, I didn't have Pevsner or my annotated map with me because I have specific things in mind) but... DH has been warned.
'Maldon. Have you ever been there?' he mused.
Cough. Have I? I took my first steps there and we have cine film of it. And I walked there with DH and my bestest aunt, uncle and cousins, the afternoon DH decided to buy me an engagement ring...
Had a great time away but was lovely to be home again. Went out to dinner on the Saturday night, as it was our wedding anniversary, but am feeling rather restauranted-out. I was good and did NOT eat pud while I was away. We won’t mention the ice cream by the sea, though…
Sunday, picked up the dog and he was so pleased to be home. And I worked on the book as DH promised to do a BBQ and let me off kitchen duties. (I did, however, do the weekly shop, so the kitchen is stocked with healthy stuff rather than junk.)
Listening to: too early for anyone else to be up yet
Reading: next on TBR (!)
On the Thursday, went to Battle to see the battlefield (i.e. 1066 – Harold vs William the Conqueror). Here, it looks so peaceful. You'd never think that this field was running with blood, 943 years ago.
We also enjoyed looking round the remains of the abbey.I particularly liked the vaulting in the monks' common room.
And here, where the altar of the church once stood (take the "Henry VIII was a despoiler" rant as read), King Harold died. The stone marks the spot.
We wandered round the parish church a bit later and looked at the roll of people involved in the fight, and I was quite surprised to see Dad’s family name there. (However, this does not mean I am related to an old, distinguished family: on that side of the family, I've traced back 400 years and we are talking sons of the soil all the way.)
Then we went to Bodiam Castle – on the way there, we had about the only big rainstorm on the whole holiday, and it was over in ten minutes. Had a great time wandering round and climbing narrow (and very steep) spiral stairs. This is the view from the car park:
And here's the view from the entrance. (I do have a lot more pics from within, but that's with my castle geek hat on... so I won't inflict them on everyone here.)
As usual, we ended up by the sea in the evening before dinner; walked along the seafront at Hastings, then ate at Pevensey.
Pedometer reading: 17817 steps.
Friday was our last day in Sussex. With a long journey home due the next day, we decided to explore locally and went to Brighton. Saw the Pavilion from the outside but there was a huge queue to go inside; none of us could face waiting (it was blazingly hot), so we nipped into the museum next door instead. But I really would like to go back and explore properly, one day.
Then we strolled on the pier, and the kids and DH had a paddle in the sea. I wussed out because shingle beaches are so painful to walk on and the one at Brighton is steeply shelving – so I sat in the sun and watched them, letting my mind wander and musing on the gorgeous colour of the sea. This pic's from the pier: to me, this looks more like the South of France or Spain than England.I'd love to know why the water looks so amazing on the south coast. Is it because there's more of a tide in the North Sea, or the fact that the beaches are (in the main) sand, that the sea in my part of the world always looks sand-coloured rather than like this?
Madam fulfilled a long-held ambition to go on one of the bungee trampolines, and loved every second of it. On the way back, we missed a turning with the satnav ('in 200 yards...' - and, 40 yards later, the turning has passed - why can't it just say 'next road on the left'?) and ended up on a really pretty route back to the cottage via Devil’s Dyke.
Pedometer reading: 15687 steps.
And then it was back home on the Saturday. On the way, we heard traffic news that owing to a lorry fire the M25 was closed between junctions 28 and 27 (just where we wanted to go) so we came off at J29 and nipped in to scrounge a cup of coffee from our favourite family.
I amused myself by pointing out places that are on the list for my Essex book, all the way down the A12. Obviously on the way back from holiday is NOT the time to do location shots (apart from that, I didn't have Pevsner or my annotated map with me because I have specific things in mind) but... DH has been warned.
'Maldon. Have you ever been there?' he mused.
Cough. Have I? I took my first steps there and we have cine film of it. And I walked there with DH and my bestest aunt, uncle and cousins, the afternoon DH decided to buy me an engagement ring...
Had a great time away but was lovely to be home again. Went out to dinner on the Saturday night, as it was our wedding anniversary, but am feeling rather restauranted-out. I was good and did NOT eat pud while I was away. We won’t mention the ice cream by the sea, though…
Sunday, picked up the dog and he was so pleased to be home. And I worked on the book as DH promised to do a BBQ and let me off kitchen duties. (I did, however, do the weekly shop, so the kitchen is stocked with healthy stuff rather than junk.)
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Sussex, part 4
Current work: en vacances
Listening to: too early for anyone else to be up yet
Reading: Ferney, James Long (utterly brilliant and I stayed in bed all morning yesterday to finish it. The history was good, the characterisation was fantastic, and I'm going to be buying copies as presents for friends because it's that good)
On the Wednesday, we went to Petworth House (once home to the Percy family).
I’ve never seen so many paintings in one place before, except maybe at the Tate. In every single room you’d find a couple of Turners, or Reynolds, or a Lely, or a Blake... amazing. (Definitely the kind of place where it would be better to go back and see half a room at a time, so you could appreciate them properly. However, we were only there for the day, so we made the most of it.) I was surprised and pleased to see a couple by John Opie there (aka husband of one of my personal heroines, novelist Amelia Opie... who is highly underrated and needs reestablishing in her proper place as one of the best early 19th-century novelists); he was a talented artist.
Was also very surprised to learn that Reynolds used bitumen in his paintings as the black colouring. This is why so many of his paintings are in such poor condition now – they're very dark, and nobody can do anything to fix them. How terribly sad. I mean, I know the PRB called him 'Sir Sloshua' (and Burne-Jones is my favourite painter of all time), but they do have their place.
I also learned that in the 17th century, it was really trendy to have lots of rooms leading off each other in a long time, and then you looked through all the doors from one end of the house to the other – this was known as an enfilade. The one at Petworth is pretty impressive.
My favourite room was the Marble Hall, which was used at one point as a study – I could imagine working there, with a view of the lake and the deer park, or curling up on one of the window seats and reading. (I would so love a window seat. That was the thing I really liked about Standen. A window seat and lots of Morris textiles. Yup. Ideal house. This is why my comfy chair (aka sofa bed) is against the window in my office.)
After Petworth, we headed for the coast and strolled along the esplanade at Bognor Regis. Very clean, with a lovely green sea. (But, oh, no sand...)
Pedometer reading: a mere 14263 steps (! and this perhaps gives you an idea why a beach holiday would drive me potty: we go exploring when we go on hols. The idea of being stuck on a beach for a week... horrid, horrid, horrid.)
Listening to: too early for anyone else to be up yet
Reading: Ferney, James Long (utterly brilliant and I stayed in bed all morning yesterday to finish it. The history was good, the characterisation was fantastic, and I'm going to be buying copies as presents for friends because it's that good)
On the Wednesday, we went to Petworth House (once home to the Percy family).
I’ve never seen so many paintings in one place before, except maybe at the Tate. In every single room you’d find a couple of Turners, or Reynolds, or a Lely, or a Blake... amazing. (Definitely the kind of place where it would be better to go back and see half a room at a time, so you could appreciate them properly. However, we were only there for the day, so we made the most of it.) I was surprised and pleased to see a couple by John Opie there (aka husband of one of my personal heroines, novelist Amelia Opie... who is highly underrated and needs reestablishing in her proper place as one of the best early 19th-century novelists); he was a talented artist.
Was also very surprised to learn that Reynolds used bitumen in his paintings as the black colouring. This is why so many of his paintings are in such poor condition now – they're very dark, and nobody can do anything to fix them. How terribly sad. I mean, I know the PRB called him 'Sir Sloshua' (and Burne-Jones is my favourite painter of all time), but they do have their place.
I also learned that in the 17th century, it was really trendy to have lots of rooms leading off each other in a long time, and then you looked through all the doors from one end of the house to the other – this was known as an enfilade. The one at Petworth is pretty impressive.
My favourite room was the Marble Hall, which was used at one point as a study – I could imagine working there, with a view of the lake and the deer park, or curling up on one of the window seats and reading. (I would so love a window seat. That was the thing I really liked about Standen. A window seat and lots of Morris textiles. Yup. Ideal house. This is why my comfy chair (aka sofa bed) is against the window in my office.)
After Petworth, we headed for the coast and strolled along the esplanade at Bognor Regis. Very clean, with a lovely green sea. (But, oh, no sand...)
Pedometer reading: a mere 14263 steps (! and this perhaps gives you an idea why a beach holiday would drive me potty: we go exploring when we go on hols. The idea of being stuck on a beach for a week... horrid, horrid, horrid.)
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Sussex, part 3
Current work: en vacances
Listening to: too early for anyone else to be up yet
Reading: The Haunting, Hope Tarr - enjoyed this one - ending worked very well (and was the one I would've chosen, too *g*)
On the Tuesday, we went to Arundel: the castle was lovely, with a very Gothic interior (the library was particularly good). My favourite bits were the medieval parts of the castle; the views from the keep were stunning. (This is the new, Gothicky bit.)
Listening to: too early for anyone else to be up yet
Reading: The Haunting, Hope Tarr - enjoyed this one - ending worked very well (and was the one I would've chosen, too *g*)
On the Tuesday, we went to Arundel: the castle was lovely, with a very Gothic interior (the library was particularly good). My favourite bits were the medieval parts of the castle; the views from the keep were stunning. (This is the new, Gothicky bit.)
There was a medieval encampment and we saw a jousting tournament – really exciting. It was boiling hot so the poor riders must’ve really felt it under 70lbs of armour. The horses were absolutely gorgeous.
This is mid-joust, with one horse visible along this side of the tilting rail. And it's done at full gallop. Not a canter or a trot. Lots of lances were broken...
(And I had a resurgence of a lightbulb moment I had a while back – still debating whether the best fit would be Modern Heat or a Medical. Am inclining towards the latter, which is good as I already have four MH ideas lined up.)
After the castle closed, we headed for the sea and went for a stroll along the promenade at Worthing. Again, fabulous sea and lots of shingle and seagulls.
Pedometer reading: 17273 steps.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
clearing the decks
So what should an author who’s just finished her book (the last one in her contract) do?
The obvious thing would be to sit down and write the outlines for the next contract so they’re filed rather than floating round my head. (Or do the accounts ready to hand them over to my accountant next week: another job that needs doing, sigh.)
Instead, I instigated a massive tidy-up. We need new carpets upstairs, so we called in to the local supplier and sorted out a date for them to come and measure up to give us a quote. This is next week. I am not the tidiest person in the world, so that meant some serious decluttering was needed.
Son spent his time lying on his bed, reading. (He will not get away with that tomorrow.)
Daughter loves tidying (ha – the only thing in which she isn’t a mini-me) so she was fine. All the toys she no longer plays with are either in the loft or handed over to neighbours for their grandchildren; and tomorrow we’ll sort out her wardrobe so I can do my list for school uniform shopping.
I started with my wardrobe. Out went anything I haven’t worn in the last year (including office clothes I should have recycled YEARS ago – yes, they were expensive; yes, they are nice; but I don’t wear them for work nowadays, so why keep them?) Result: my wardrobe is still full, but I can get things out easily now.
Next was my bedroom bookcase. Pre-tidy, this housed all the books I’ve read over the last year and some of my TBR pile. Post-tidy, the keeper books are in my office, awaiting reorganisation of my bookcases; the non-keepers have been divided into carrier bags ready to hand over to friends I think might enjoy them; and the TBR previously squirreled away in my office are now in place, ready to be devoured.
Still to be done: my office (arrgh), spare room (also arrgh), and son’s room – which is a complete state, so I am going to have to do some major maternal nagging.
And when that’s done, I’ve finished my accounts and the decks are all cleared, I think I might be rather desperate to get back to work…
Sussex, part 2
Current work: en vacances (because I HAVE FINISHED MY BOOK! Yay!)
Listening to: too early for anyone else to be up yet
Reading: Arianna Franklin
On the Monday, we went to Portsmouth. Felt a little bittersweet as we crossed the border to Hampshire , as this was my mother’s birth county. The Royal Naval Museum was utterly fantastic. We started off with a boat trip around the harbour. Son and I both loved the architecture of the Spinnaker Tower – apparently it has the fifth biggest glass floor in the world, but we didn’t get time to climb it and have a look.
We also saw Spice Island, where the very first potato was brought on to English soil.
We saw lots of ships, including the new Daring warship (due to come into service next year) and the Ark Royal. Then we explored Nelson’s Victory – stunning.
Listening to: too early for anyone else to be up yet
Reading: Arianna Franklin
On the Monday, we went to Portsmouth. Felt a little bittersweet as we crossed the border to Hampshire , as this was my mother’s birth county. The Royal Naval Museum was utterly fantastic. We started off with a boat trip around the harbour. Son and I both loved the architecture of the Spinnaker Tower – apparently it has the fifth biggest glass floor in the world, but we didn’t get time to climb it and have a look.
We also saw Spice Island, where the very first potato was brought on to English soil.
We saw lots of ships, including the new Daring warship (due to come into service next year) and the Ark Royal. Then we explored Nelson’s Victory – stunning.
Saw Nelson’s quarters, the place where he was mortally wounded and fell (rather upset me as I live in Nelson's county)
and the hold and the gun decks. Oh, and the surgeon's instruments (they were fascinating - hey, great thought here: dear, lovely ed, how about I do you a historical medical set at Trafalgar?). Odd and fascinating facts: the stores were lined with copper to deter rats, and it took 100 acres of oak woodlands to produce enough wood to build the ship.
We also saw the fore topsail from the Victory – it’s the only early 19th century sail in the world to survive, and is also the largest textile to be conserved. You could still see the holes where cannon balls had ripped through it at Trafalgar. (Pics not allowed - or there would be one here. I took a LOT of pics while we were away.)
Then we went to see the Mary Rose, which is still being sprayed with wax (drying out starts at the end of August and it won’t be on display again until 2011). It was like seeing a ghost ship, esepcially because of the way the spray fell. It's amazing to think that after 437 years on the seabed so much of it was able to be lifted. Below is a view from the side with four of the five decks (the fifth deck, aka castle deck, is just about visible at top right), and then from the bow.
After that, we went round the Warrior, an ironclad warship from 1860. Ship design changed so much in 100 years. It felt much more roomy than the Victory (probably because of the higher ceilings). Weirdly, although the Victory is in dry dock, I felt as if the ship were moving; whereas the Warrior is in wet dock and it didn’t seem to move at all. (I think the camber on the decks might have been shallower.)
Then we indulged the kids with the activities centre. Son, despite claiming that he was much too old for it (cough), discovered that there was a climbing wall and computer flying simulations, and changed his mind. Dinner out in Gun Wharf... and then DH made the mistake of suggesting we looked round the shops. There was a Radley factory outlet shop. Oh, dear. And DH let me go in on my own. Oh, double dear. (Actually, I was v good and just bought a pair of sunglasses.)
Pedometer reading for the day: 17475 steps.
Monday, August 03, 2009
Sussex, part 1
Current work: very end of medical
Listening to: too early for anyone else to be up yet
Reading: Arianna Franklin, The Death Maze (enjoying this)
We had a wonderful week away, but it’s lovely to be home. (And very nice to come back to lots of emails telling me that I'd hit the top of the eharl charts with a book that's a year old... blimey!)
Travelling south, last weekend, took us a couple of hours longer than it should have done because the traffic on the M11 and M25 was atrocious. The weather was decent, though, so it wasn’t a horrible journey.
The cottage was absolutely gorgeous – a 16th century barn conversion.
Really tastefully done – everything was soft white paint or light oak, and the whole place was just full of light. (This is the view of the interior from our bedroom.)
We had our own bathroom (and our own staircase) and the kids had their own bathroom and staircase. Really loved the ceiling and the central light. And the water was incredibly soft, after the hard water in Norfolk!
This was our bedroom.
And the view from our bedroom over the paddock to the South Downs.
Given that I was sneaking in an hour of work most mornings (yeah, I know, divorceable offence, but necessary) and we did a LOT of walking (note the pedometer stats at the end of each post for the next week), I didn't have the time or energy to read much - in fact the only one I read was Katie Fforde's "Wedding Season", which was light and great fun and just what I needed as a holiday read.
On Sunday, went to Standen – a National Trust property that was built in the late 1800s and was completely furnished with Morris fabrics, wallpaper and tiles – absolutely gorgeous.
The house was the sort you could actually imagine living in; I especially liked the morning room, which was full of books and comfortable chairs.
After that we went to Newhaven Fort, where we experienced a simulated World War Two air raid. I was shocked by how loud the drone of the planes was, and the sound of the bombs dropping.
And then we went to Brighton. The Georgian bits are very pretty, and of course we had to stroll along the pier. The beach surprised me, though: all shingle. And a LOT of seagulls... (And this picture wasn't that late - about 6pm - but it was so dramatic that I couldn't resist it. That's the sun, btw, not the moon. And it didn't rain, either.)
We decided to eat on the way home. Except the local pubs didn’t serve food on Sundays. OK, we thought. We’ll use the SatNav to find a restaurant... except it wasn’t playing. It directed us to several restaurants which didn’t exist (including one in the middle of a housing estate, and one where it kept telling us to take the fourth exit off the roundabout – fine, but there wasn’t a roundabout anywhere near because we were in the middle of a car park...). Practically crawled out of the car when we got back to the cottage (pedometer reading: 16568 steps). And I lost my trust in the satnav: back to having a proper map in the car as backup.
Listening to: too early for anyone else to be up yet
Reading: Arianna Franklin, The Death Maze (enjoying this)
We had a wonderful week away, but it’s lovely to be home. (And very nice to come back to lots of emails telling me that I'd hit the top of the eharl charts with a book that's a year old... blimey!)
Travelling south, last weekend, took us a couple of hours longer than it should have done because the traffic on the M11 and M25 was atrocious. The weather was decent, though, so it wasn’t a horrible journey.
The cottage was absolutely gorgeous – a 16th century barn conversion.
Really tastefully done – everything was soft white paint or light oak, and the whole place was just full of light. (This is the view of the interior from our bedroom.)
We had our own bathroom (and our own staircase) and the kids had their own bathroom and staircase. Really loved the ceiling and the central light. And the water was incredibly soft, after the hard water in Norfolk!
This was our bedroom.
And the view from our bedroom over the paddock to the South Downs.Given that I was sneaking in an hour of work most mornings (yeah, I know, divorceable offence, but necessary) and we did a LOT of walking (note the pedometer stats at the end of each post for the next week), I didn't have the time or energy to read much - in fact the only one I read was Katie Fforde's "Wedding Season", which was light and great fun and just what I needed as a holiday read.
On Sunday, went to Standen – a National Trust property that was built in the late 1800s and was completely furnished with Morris fabrics, wallpaper and tiles – absolutely gorgeous.The house was the sort you could actually imagine living in; I especially liked the morning room, which was full of books and comfortable chairs.
After that we went to Newhaven Fort, where we experienced a simulated World War Two air raid. I was shocked by how loud the drone of the planes was, and the sound of the bombs dropping.
And then we went to Brighton. The Georgian bits are very pretty, and of course we had to stroll along the pier. The beach surprised me, though: all shingle. And a LOT of seagulls... (And this picture wasn't that late - about 6pm - but it was so dramatic that I couldn't resist it. That's the sun, btw, not the moon. And it didn't rain, either.)
We decided to eat on the way home. Except the local pubs didn’t serve food on Sundays. OK, we thought. We’ll use the SatNav to find a restaurant... except it wasn’t playing. It directed us to several restaurants which didn’t exist (including one in the middle of a housing estate, and one where it kept telling us to take the fourth exit off the roundabout – fine, but there wasn’t a roundabout anywhere near because we were in the middle of a car park...). Practically crawled out of the car when we got back to the cottage (pedometer reading: 16568 steps). And I lost my trust in the satnav: back to having a proper map in the car as backup.
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