Sunday 27 May 2012

Now it's time to sober up and get on with it.

On Wednesday I won the Myriad Editions Writer's Retreat competition. I can't begin to describe how pleased I am. Just to be shortlisted was fantastic but to win when up against some fantastic entries, couldn't have been more overwhelming.
My entry was the first 5000 words of my novel I've been working on. The celebrating started with a couple of glasses of wine on Wednesday evening, curtailed by the massive headache the excitement of the day had brought with it.
Thursday saw a few more drinks, Friday a couple more and Saturday, well I think you get the picture.
This morning, I felt enough was enough. My internal organs must be hoping that nothing else worth celebrating  happens in the next couple of weeks. I don't think they could cope with a lottery win.

Saturday 19 May 2012

Close to perfect Saturday

The day started with a chocolate muffin for breakfast. Yes, I know, it's hardly nutritious but it was very good. The sun was shining. We took the dog for a walk. He ran about like a great big red fool. We even saw a white albino squirrel in the trees. I swear that we both saw it so I wasn't still asleep or suffering from the night before.
Leaving home a bit later, the dog with a look of disgust on his face, we went out shopping together for some very harmonious his 'n' hers shopping. Husband and I got the purchases we required, we had a coffee and came home. Aah. Good stuff.
I did some gardening just in time before the flexible rose tree touched the lawn and then the ice cream van stopped just outside the house. This was too much. I would have shoved a '99' in my face but the dirt under my fingernails was quite impressive at this stage. I settled for a lolly on a stick. Anything I didn't have to touch with my filthy hands. It was either that or lay under the ice cream tap. OK, I thought about it. My husband had the '99' complete with flake. I had ice cream envy.
This was followed by an hour of reading "You're next" by Greg Hurwitz (only half way through but loving it), fingernail dirt removal, wine and a curry.
How I love a weekend free from work and having to be anywhere at all.
Hope your Saturday was as good.

Thursday 17 May 2012

What's wrong with chinchillas? Discriminated against while cats, dogs and ferrets get away with it.

Since last year, as proud Labrador parents, we have planned more and more holidays in England. Many parts of the UK are beautiful and make fantastic holiday locations but the British weather does little for a vitamin D boost.
Our destinations are therefore looking once more to Europe. Europe has always held a fascination for me. Alighting from the Eurostar in Paris or Brussels has always left me staring dumbstruck at the destination board. To get on a train in London or Kent, get off in a foreign country, change trains at another platform before travelling to yet another country, enchants me. Bit sad, I know. It must be the island mentality.
The end result of being tempted by foreign lands once more, meant that our thoughts fell to taking the dog with us. It appeared quite simple. All we had to do was get him a passport. He's already been chipped so I looked it up on the internet.
The results surprised me. It is indeed possible to obtain a passport for a cat, dog or a ferret.
The demand for passports for cats and dogs is something I can fully grasp. People get very attached to their pets. Dogs are supposedly man's best friend and I totally understand the companionship of a cat. I don't fully get people who take their ferrets overseas with them. Admittedly, I've never owned a ferret. They make superb pets, so I've been told with intelligence equal to that of a cat or dog. Just what do Border Control have against chinchillas, hamsters and gerbils? Are they of no importance or is it simply too difficult to stop their toothy grins at the photo kiosk, rendering the use of automated passport gates obsolete for facial recognition?

Wednesday 9 May 2012

Centuries of history in such a short time

Last night, I was very lucky to attend the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. I love London, particularly as I don't have to commute there every day. Truly, I think it is an amazing city. In my opinion, the best. In fairness, I haven't been to them all and I am English, so somewhat biased.
Anyway, the tour was led by 'Jimmy', a prouder and truer Englishman I've yet to meet and I've been to a couple of rugby matches at Twickenham. I will admit to not being the most fanatic rugby fan ever but my dad played his last game aged 50 something and my brother at 44 is still playing. That aside, 'Jimmy' was so knowledgeable and keen to share his vast knowledge of all that was the Tower of London and its history.
After showing us the Bell Tower, Bloody Tower, Traitor's Gate, Queen's House, Executioner's Block to name but a few, giving us a fascinating and amusing history of one of England's most breathtaking attractions, we waited in the falling dark for the ceremony to begin. It was amazing to witness.
In over 700 years, this ceremony has never been missed. (It was late once in the Second World War by six minutes according to Jimmy.)
Go online and get yourself some tickets. There's a wait of over a year apparently (I didn't organise the trip) but here's the best bit - THEY'RE FREE.


Saturday 5 May 2012

Seven days in Norfolk and five books later

We've just spent a very relaxing week in Norfolk. It's one of our favourite parts of England. Shame it rained most of the week but there you go. Monday was a beautiful day so we went to Wells-next-the-sea. It's a fantastic beach. We took the dog, having been told it was a dog-friendly beach. Indeed it was dog friendly.
LG, the Lab, loved it. He had a great time on the sand, running about all over the place. On the way back to our holiday cottage, he seemed to be wheezing and being the over protective owner I am, I feared he had doggy asthma. The likelihood was that he had sand up his nose.
When we got out of the car, I tipped cold water over his face. He won't be trying that one again. Seemed to stop the wheezing.
Anyway throughout the week, as well as doing a considerable amount of writing and hitting the 99,000 word mark for my novel, I also read five other books. I recently joined the new library in Maidstone, Kent and took some real, actual books out. I read 'The Herring in the Library', LC Tyler, 'The Kindest Thing', Cath Staincliffe,  'A Helping Hand', Celia Dale, 'Curious Curate' by MC Beaton and on my Kindle, 'Killing Cupid', Mark Edwards and Louise Voss. They were all good books, especially the Celia Dale. The strange thing was that whenever I picked up a paperback, my dog, who is quite needy, tried to knock it out of my hand and get on my lap. The Kindle he took no notice of.
Ordinarily, I would put this down to the books having other people's scent on them but these were brand new books, from a brand new library. I love my Kindle. I wouldn't be without it but it's made me think about the books v electronic download argument. Truth be known, I loved holding a printed book again.
Don't listen to me though. I'm just off to drop my holiday snaps off for developing. Only trouble is, if it's busy in town, I may not find anywhere to leave my horse and carriage.