Pollyanna

Current work: Modern Heat (beginning of French duo, book 2)
Listening to: Def Leppard (X – love this album)
Reading: next on TBR

Thanks to everyone who commented yesterday or sent me a private message about my difficult week. The bullying was serious enough for the headmaster to be involved, but school has been brilliant and acted swiftly. I had a long conversation yesterday with the head of year and hopefully things will be easier for son now.

Dad is still not well, and the nature of his illness means that he never quite pulls back from these blips: we lose a little more of him each time. Sadly, it’s just not fixable. All I can do is be as supportive as possible.

The other thing that’s affecting my mood this week is the fact that my mum would’ve been 64, this Sunday. It’s not regrets for things done, but for things we didn’t have time to do. I’ll feel better when I’ve put new silk flowers on her grave, to keep it nice and colourful over the winter, and fresh freesias (her favourite flowers). But in the meantime I’m not particularly good company.

As for the diet disaster – I’m going back to phase 1 for the rest of the week, to help me break the cravings cycle again. That means no coffee, even decaf, because I’m a comfort eater and will hit the chocolate or biscuits to go with said coffee. I don’t, however, do that with peppermint tea, so I’m going to keep myself on the straight and narrow with that.

Went to the post office yesterday with lots of parcels, including the new book, so I’m really supposed to be tidying my desk today. It’s possibly my most-loathed chore, so I’m putting it off for a day or two. Instead, I’m starting the new book, as the heroine is talking to me and I’d like to capitalise on that.

Have a nice weekend. And hopefully I will be back to being Pollyanna on Monday. (I might even feel like celebrating the eighth anniversary of being an M&B author – which was actually on daughter’s birthday. Just finished M&B #42 and starting #43. Not bad in eight years…)

Chinese curses

Current work: Modern Heat (final readthrough of book 1)
Listening to: Chopin nocturnes (bleak enough to suit my mood)
Reading: next on TBR

Isn’t there a Chinese curse along the lines of ‘may you live in interesting times’? Well, whoever stuck that one on me, I’d appreciate it if you could lift it for a couple of months, please.

Am pleased to report that the book is done. Doing the final readthrough this morning, then printing it out to post to my agent. Let’s hope it makes it through the picket lines. And that my agent and ed like it. (Yup, am at THAT stage of the book. Happens every time – which is probably a good thing as it stops me from being complacent and cheating my readers.)

The ‘interesting’ stuff? Dad’s having a blip (so might not be up to visitors today) and son is falling foul of the monsters again. (I accept that the ringleaders probably have a horrible life. But they need to learn that being spiteful to other people isn’t the right way to deal with it. And, as most of them are OK on their own, maybe the little groups need to be split up.) Plus news of one (possibly two) redundancies in close family.

Apols for the doom and gloom. I may be in a better mood later. But I crashed my diet badly yesterday (was definitely an ‘in need of chocolate’ day), so I have to break the sugar cravings again and I’m cross with myself for being weak. Guess the remedy is to start the next book… (Or tackle my accounts for this year, or tidy my desk. Urk. Make that start the next book.)

party-party-party

Current work: Modern Heat (finishing off book 1 of the duo)
Listening to: Def Leppard/Debussy

Reading: next on TBR

Really, really busy weekend.

Friday: briefly into town, then catching up with work, then out bowling (it was Glow Bowling, i.e. everything was fluorescent, so littlest was delighted – and I was totally shocked to get the best score of the night. I mean, I’m hopeless! But I got a spare followed by two strikes, one of which won me a “glow torch”… oh, and the fact that our team had the bumper bars up might’ve helped – but anyway, it was my personal best and I was so chuffed). Then everyone came back to ours for dinner (jacket potatoes, chicken breasts, ratatouille, salad – and I was very good and had a very small piece of birthday cake and NO pudding).

Saturday: supermarket to sort out shopping for Sunday’s party, work, and then “trick or treat”. DH always has a giant pumpkin – and this shot of the dog will give you an idea of how big. (Dog was not pleased at being used as a marker. That sulky look says very clearly, “There had better be treats involved, for doing this.”)

Sunday: family party. Sadly, Dad wasn’t well enough to come, so I sent a goodie bag via my stepmum. Madam entertained us all with her guitar playing – she’s getting very good.

Yesterday: inset day, so in to town so Madam could spend some of her birthday money. She bought a DSi (which is great fun – I love the voice recorder, and the fact you can play things backwards) and a camera (Nikon compact – it’s tiny and she’s delighted with it). Sneaked in a bit of work, then out to dinner at Yellows – birthday girl was very pleased with that.

Today: guitar lesson, then finish as much as I can of the book, then school run and Madam’s two best friends are coming home with her for dinner.

Righty. I’m gone. Lots to do.

happy November

Current work: Modern Heat (finishing off book 1 of the duo)

Listening to: Sheryl Crow
Reading: Sarah Morgan duo – Snowbound: Marriage Miracle and Christmas Eve: Doorstep Delivery (absolutely brilliant – Alfie, Patrick’s son, is just hilarious. Sarah’s secondaries are always a treat, and there’s snow, and gorgeous heroes, and really nice heroines you’d like to be mates with, and walk-on parts from characters from her previous Lakeland books, and… Highly recommended!)

Happy November; and may it be a lovely month for you.

Today is an inset day (teacher training) so I’m busy doing stuff with the kids (Madam is desperate to spend her birthday money) and finishing off my book, but I’ll be back with reports of this weekend’s partying tomorrow.

In the meantime, my mate Sarah Morgan has a sparkling new website, so do go over and have a look.

Llamas

What with birthday party preparations (i.e. tenpin bowling tonight, trick-or-treating tomorrow, family party Sunday, Inset day etc Monday) and a screaming deadline, I barely have time to breathe, let alone write anything interesting on my blog.

Instead, I will leave you with a link to a YouTube song that my children made me watch. Made me smile, too. The Llama Song.

Oh, and the Harry Potter song. Loved this. Very clever - YouTube at its best.

Enjoy. I'm off to make cookies.

star

Current work: Modern Heat
Listening to: (kids still asleep so peace and quiet…)
Reading: next on TBR

London was fab but tiring! (I did 19k steps on Tuesday and 13k on Wednesday.)

We had dinner before the theatre at Adam's Rib; wish I’d had the camera out when Madam’s meal arrived because she was so pleased with it. The look on her face made the fact that I’m now behind on my deadline completely worthwhile.

And her little face when we emerged at Piccadilly Circus and all the lights were everywhere – normally, we’re on the train home by that time of night, so she was stunned by it all.




Grease was great - the choreography was fantastic, especially Cha-Cha’s dancing (the high kicks were unbelievably high). Travolta and Newton-John are a v hard act to follow, but Ray Quinn and Emma Stephens did a good job. I did feel though that the actors playing Doody and Rizzo had better voices – for me, Natalie Langston (Rizzo) was the standout in the show. The special effects were good (the car was great – banger one side and sparkly the other) and the staging transitions were very smooth.

The one thing that did surprise me was how quiet the audience was. Maybe it’s because I’m from the provinces rather than a sophisticated West End theatregoer, or maybe I’m just a groundling at heart, but at a musical I’m used to audiences clapping and singing along to their favourites, maybe dancing in their seats (especially to some of the numbers in this show - ‘We Go Together’ in particular). But the audience was so quiet, it felt a bit embarrassing to clap (even when you were being encouraged to do so). Madam said she sang along in her head, bless.

On Wednesday, we went to the Natural History Museum. There was an ENORMOUS queue to get in, so we stayed in the Earth Sciences side rather than join another huge queue to see the dinosaurs. Which of course meant going up this escalator to the volcanic section...

Some of the gem specimens were gorgeous. (This is zoisite.)

Then home to two surprises from my RLH. I really wasn’t expecting flowers when he met us from the train. Or that he’d have done the job I’ve been putting off for too long (cleaning the oven, since you ask). What a star. :o)

Grease is the word...

London bound, this morning - and am not sure which of us is the more excited, littlest or me. This will be my first musical in the West End (I normally do serious drama, preferably Renaissance), and daughter's first ever West End performance. Dinner out (also in the West End), staying overnight at her godmother's, and then the Natural History Museum tomorrow. Plus complete and utter attention from me. Endless games of I-spy, Hangman and other paper games...

Actually, from the squeaks I can hear even without sound in and the 'Oh, pleases' from her brother, I'd say littlest might be the more excited. :o)

Back tomorrow (or possibly Thursday) with a full report. Hope your day is as nice as mine's going to be.