Deck The Halls!

It's happened! I finally feel Christmassy! My baby is home from uni, the tree is smelling all pineish, the icicle lights are twinkling, I'm about to wrap pressies. Yay! I love Christmas!

As the next few days will be busy, I want to take this chance to say Merry Christmas to anyone who reads this blog. Have a wonderful time with family and friends and here's hoping 2009 will be a fun, happy, healthy, agent filled year for all of us! x

What Next?

Still unable to write those last few words *sigh* BUT....

I have mapped out the novel on a whiteboard, well as much of it as would fit on the biggest whiteboard I could find. I wasn't quite sure why I did this but it seemed like the thing to do rather than finish the last chapter.

It's another alternative to a room full of yellow sticky notes and apparently glaring mistakes, omissions etc will be obvious when I look at it as a whole.

Hmmm. Well the obvious mistake is I need another whiteboard. This only fits twenty nine chapters out of thirty three. Just as well really as thirty three is STILL not finished.

I Love This

As an ex songwriter, I love to hear new music that does what a hit song should do well. Simple lyrics, great memorable tune, great voice. Sounds easy, doesn't it. It's not! Alas, I was a good songwriter but was never a great one, something I still aspire to.

So, when I heard this song and loved it instantly, it prompted me to look it up on uTube as I had also heard the video was 'controversial'. The controversy appears to be because Stephen Gately who is openly gay, features a male lover in the video. I am actually so shocked at some of the vitriole attached to this video on uTube that I almost felt the need to leave a comment. Almost. I left the idle name callers to it.

Gotta rush..?

Things to do, places to go, lists to make.

See? This is why I've been getting sick. I'm sure of it. It's this bloody white rabbit lifestyle that I and I'm sure many of you live. But I have a secret.

I don't have to live like this!

Most of the time I'm rushing around doing many things to avoid doing the few things I should do. Like writing the last chapter of the first draft. Anyone reading this is permitted to wonder....what? She's on the very last chapter? What's the problem? Why's she putting it off? Why has she done just that for three weeks. Yes three WEEKS. Okay, I've had flu for ten days but thats still another eleven days of pure procrastination. So, I've forced myself in a rare white rabbit moment of inner peace to ask myself why? Why have I not finished the draft?

Possibilities:

1. If I finish it. I have to edit it. Yuk.
2. If I finish it, I might hate it.
3. If I finish it, then I edit it, that's two books. I'll HAVE to find an agent or find a real job.

On the other hand, when I finish it and edit it, I think this book is far better than my first and I'm sure I'll love it. So, here's what I'll do. I promise myself that on the 24th December, I will wrap a print out of my completed first draft manuscript in tissue paper and ribbon, give it a kiss and gift it to myself for Christmas. Then a la Stephen King, I'll leave it for a few weeks before taking it out ans starting the big Edit. For Valentines Day, I will gift myself a second draft.

By my birthday, I'm gonna bag me an agent!

I'll Be Back.....

when I can string two words together sensibly. Head is like cotton wool, nose is streaming, body aching, no food in the house, chest infection and antibiotics making me feel sick. In fact, I even look like Arnie (after he was beaten up by a more modern terminator)

Whilst I'm on can I APOLOGISE to Claire for handing the award she gave me right back to her....and giving it to Keris who had already gotten it from Claire. See, too many layers. Too much thought for a wooly head. I rest my case and my poorly head.

And I'd Like to Thank.......

My lovely friend Claire for sending me this award last week. (Thanks CB!) I've not been feeling the best, having fallen victim to the dreaded coldy lurgy (again) but trying today to get back on the blogging/writing bandwagon.


So, apparently I have to name six things that I value most. Here goes.

1. My family. Both my own family, my husband and two daughters and all my extended family too. I was truly blessed the day I met my husband and our daughters are the best. I love them so much and consider myself so lucky with the three of them. My Mum and siblings are all mad Irish. Though they drive me mad at times (there are so many of us, there's always someone in crisis), I wouldn't change them for the world.


2. My health. Though shaky at times.....I value the fact that I'm generally healthy so very much ...says she choking with a coughing fit!


3. My home. We have a beautiful home, somewhere that we love spending time in and miss when we are away. Even today, when I'm feeling yukky, I put the kettle on to make tea earlier and huddles up on the sofa whilst I drank it. Yum. I love it. The sofa, the home - the tea I couldn't taste!


4. My Dream. I am so lucky at the moment and in this climate that I don't have to 'work' for a living. Hubby works hard enough for ten people and in doing so enables me to live my dream, being a writer. Almost two years ago, when I was still talking about what I wanted to do, he told me to s**t or get off the pot. I am now writing every day and have one completed novel and another almost finished novel under my belt. Thank you Aidan. I love you. (He never reads this but just in case.)


5. My friends. I have friends that date back years and friends I've met more recently. Friends that I've met through work and other means and friends that I've met through writing. You know who you are! Yes, even my mad siblings I count as my friends. I'm a lucky girl having been blessed with friendships that have spanned time and with new ones that I know will continue to do the same. Yay for the girlies! (I've just realised, I dont really have male friends. Hmmm. Well I have male friends who are partners of my female friends but I don't have a close friend who's male. Am I unusual?)


6. Democracy. Yeah, I know it sounds very unlike me and quite political but when I got to number six and realised I'd covered everythig I thought I valued already...it led me to think. What if? What if you were born and lived in a totally different country/culture? I love living in Europe. I love my Irishness. I love the UK. I am eternally grateful that for all our faults as a country, we at least aim to live in a fair world. I don't wake up in the morning for fear of my life, or hide my education becasue I'm a woman. Yes, that's something I truly value.

I'm supposed to 'share the love' with this award so I hereby share it with all the blogging community. You know who you are!

Which brings me nicely to my second award - the 'Superior Scribbler Award.' I just love that title! This has been donated by the wonderful Debs who daydreams from her shed....

The Rules that go with this award are as follows:

1. Every superior scribbler must name other super scribblers, although with so many brilliant ones to choose from, it's almost impossible to do. So, I'd like to nominate

Claire, Tam, Jen, and Keris

2. Link back to the name of the blog that gave you the award, Debs.

3. Display the award and link to this post, which explains the award.

4. Add your name to the Mr Linky List, some way down the page, as a record of who the superest scribblers are

Phew! I'm off for a rest now!

This Is Something I Would Do....

Tee Hee!

Brown Bag Bliss

I want that one.

Then it will mean that I've been to Macy's or Bloomingdales where when you buy something, someone smiles at you and says 'Would you like a bag M'am?' When you say yes please, they wrap your purchase in a plastic bag and then put it in one of these. I know its not exactly carbon footprint friendly but it makes shopping such an experience. I love New York.

New Years Eve Blues

Can't decide what to do....One minute I want to have a party but somehow in this climate I'm not sure. Then I think I'll stay in and watch Jools Holland with the ol' man.......or maybe have a dinner party (too much work) or maybe wait to be asked to a party? Then I think who cares? I hate new years eve. (Oops, sorry, I dislike New Years Eve - see yesterday's post about not using the word 'hate')

Truth is I have a bit of a 'who cares' thing going on in general. I think its because I'm drenched in the reality of the news, India, Africa, America, Europe - all bad news. All stuff where you watch the television or listen to the radio holding your breath. Planning a party seems almost uncouth.

Its easy to let it all get to you but in reality for every bit of bad news, there is some good news. For every bad year, theres another good one past or looming. So I'm determined not to be my normal bah humbug new years eve self. I am determined to celebrate the beginning of another year of life.

But in realityville, I still don't know what to do? So for now, I'm going to plan a virtual party and invite Barack Obama, Billy Connolly, Fern Britton, Austin Healy, Ant & Dec, Germaine Greer, Marion Keyes, Stephen Fry, Johnnie Depp, Mary Quant, Keith Urban, Nelson Mandela, Bruce Springsteen. Quite a list ....I think that lot could probably help solve the problems of India, Africa, America and Europe not to mention the antarticas.

Of course, you're all invited. It's a virtual seventies disco night. You have to dress appropriately. Barack has promised to come as Shaft. Ant and Dec will be Morcambe and Wise, Stephen Fry, well he's coming as Stephen Fry but with more polyester than usual. Bruce Springsteen doesn't know yet who he'll be that night but I'll definitely be his wife.

You coming? If so, which of my celebrity guests can you see yourself cosying up to? How will you be dressed? What will you be drinking (not avocat, please, anything but that yellow slimey stuff)

The First Of December

Todays date, the day that I allow myself to really think of Christmas, made me also think about Winter and the things I love and dislike about it. (My mother would never let me use the word hate.....)

Love:

1. Crisp cold days with a bright blue sky.
2. Layered clothing.
3. The promise (albeit mostly unfulfilled in South East England) of snow.
4. Christmas and the lead up, providing it only starts today 1st December.
5. I know this puts me with the masses who watch crappy telly but....I love I'm A Celeb, Strictly Come Dancing, and er when does the ice dance one start?!
6. A lit fire to snuggle up to.
7. The fashion. Coats, scarves, hats, wierd and wonderful tights.
8. Home made soup -its the only time of year I make it?

Dislike:

1. Grey wet gloomy days with bullet grey skies. (An all year round feeling?)
2. It gets dark at 15.50 for Chrissake? What's that about?
3. Carol singers. Yes, I know its all bah hunbug of me but I detest carol singers unless they are somewhere that I want to go and see them eg a church. (Unlikely I know...)
4. I always spend more money than I should during winter months. I think this is number one and two's fault above.
5. Feeling cold. Wrap up! Layer up you silly girl!
6. The way that I sound like my father? EG 'This place is lit up like a ****** lighthouse!' or 'If you're cold put another jumper on.' ' Call this cold? We had to walk to school clutching potatoes!'
7. My general inactivity. I find it harder to motivate myself to go out for a walk or do some sort of physical exercise.
8. I drink more ( alcohol) - this is number 1,2,5 and 7's fault.

Let me take this chance to say I've missed blogging. Hopefully, I'm back on track now though I have had to allow myself to move the end date of Nano by about three days (or however long it takes me to finish). Sssssh. Don't tell anyone. I'm annoyed at myself that I didn't pull out all the stops in the last few days to finish it but if I'm honest, that was number 1,2,7 and 8's fault.....