What I've been doing...other than writing

I may be back but I haven't been that regular at writing! I think in part that I have fallen out of the habit and so, just don't think about writing each day. That is a disaster considering that one of my goals for the holidays is to write regularly and continue with my novel!

What, in fact ,have I been doing since I started my holidays nearly 2 weeks ago! The weather has been glorious! Warm, sometimes hot! Sunny with little or no rain! So unlike a summer in England. It has been so wonderful that I haven't wanted to be in the house. I've done lots of work on my garden and it is finally starting to fall in to place. This week is the Hampton Court Flower Show and Emma and I are going on Saturday. It should be a perfect week for it, warm and sunny.

I have managed to get a lot of little jobs done, which have been waiting for me to attend for ages. The house is better organized; I have my new garden waste rubbish bin coming from the council; I have abandoned all hope of going to the local boot sale (rather like a garage sale) and taken everything to the Oxfam shop; and I'm in the process of reorganizing closets and the garden shed! I haven't mentioned the books I've read or the tennis matches I've watched, nor the daily visits to the pool. So, I have been busy but not with writing. I did re-read the first chapter and make some notes about changes but that's it!

Alas!

I've been cooking as well but I will discuss that on my other blog. However, I can say that I have finally made madeleines and several loaves of Pain de Campagne. Today or tomorrow, I am trying some new recipes for sponge cakes.

In half an hour I'm off to the Staines public library to talk with the librarian about signing my students and their families up for library cards. I can't believe how many of them have never been into their local library.

So you see, though I'm not writing, I am very busy and I do feel good about what I have accomplished so far.

More tomorrow, I promise!

The 1st of November: Novel writing month has finally arrived!

I may not be writing here all that much during the month of November since I need to write nearly 1700 words a day just to stay ahead of myself in order to complete 50,000 words by the end of November. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, I have joined the challenge to write a novel during the month of November. The link to the site if you are interested is: http://www.nanowrimo.org/ I will try to let you know about my progress from time to time and I think that you can set it up so that you receive a notification whenever I post. Wish me luck because at this point, I'm still not sure which novel I'm going to start. I have two possibilities. One is a children's book and the other a story about the dysfunctional relationship of a mother and daughter. I won't know till later today!

And of course, good luck to all my friends who are starting the journey as well!

Musings over!

Yes, yes, as someone has pointed out, I have been musing for a long time. I didn't write anything more during our Queen Mary voyage, firstly because I was working on my book and secondly, because a day out of Southampton, I found out that my mother had had a bad accident while staying at our house just after we left for New York. My months since the trip have been taken up with concern for my mum, starting my new job and getting our new house sorted out.

However, I am musing at the moment about starting the Write a Novel in a Month challenge on November 1st. You are discouraged from beginning to write before the 1st but there is no reason why you can't sort through your ideas. And so I am!

Almost over

Yes, the holidays are almost over. Did I accomplish what I wanted to? Well, for the most part, I suppose I did. I didn't do much writing but I did do a lot of planning. I'm not sure where I'm going with this story line but I will now try to put some of it on paper. I did go to Kew and had a wonderful day there with Emma. We visited two of the glasshouses, a palace (which is more of a large house), the pagoda, and had lunch. I also managed to read 3 books and I'm on my fourth. I swam 5000 metres this week, walked for miles and went to my first yoga class this afternoon. So, not too bad really. Tomorrow is my last day and I'm hoping to make some lemon desserts, work in my garden, swim, and get a bit of my next story down.

All in all, not a bad second week of my holidays!

My challenge update

I have been asked what has happened to my challenge. I have printed off what I have written so far. I have started to re-read it so I can get a sense of where I am. However, that's it. Work has been crazy, I have been tired at night and I haven't been able to get any further. I think that I will have to delay it till the Easter holidays when I have some time off to rest and write. I am disappointed but there is no sense beating myself up over it.

It's reflection/resolution time again!

I've just had a look at what I wrote about resolutions and reflection last year. It was interesting. I had resolved to find out what to do about my blood pressure and how to lower it. Somewhat ironic, I suppose, since this year I ended up with elevated cholesterol and diabetes as well! So, just to recap, I'm recovering from cancer, I have slightly elevated blood pressure and cholesterol and, in September, I found out I was diabetic. On the plus side, my cholesterol is only .1 above normal, my blood sugar level is now under control and I have lost 11 kg since October.

Right, so my new resolution is to find out how to lower my blood pressure and how to keep all my other health issues under control. Let's hope that there aren't any more! I am resolved to keep eating properly (how does one define that!) and to exercise as much and more than I do already. I am also resolved (since I'm now a department head) to work hard at not getting stressed out at work!

Moving on from work and health, I am also resolved to continue to write. I had a look at what I had written about that and I have managed to do some of what I intended to do. I have started the book Emma and I were planning together. I have started to re-write my murder mystery and I have also started two other stories. Not bad but I still haven't finished anything! That is my resolution for this year. To finish some of these!

The Novel Continues

I didn't realize how long it had been since I last wrote. Three weeks! I have been continuing the work on my novel so that has been consuming most of my spare time. I've also had major tooth trauma and a cold. So all in all, I've been quite busy.

Today I finished chapter three. It's taken me a lot longer than the first two chapters. Part of the reason might be that it becomes more and more difficult to write a story organically the further into it you get. At least, that is what I've discovered with this one. Mary Jane in Reno says that she saw a writer interviewed who also just goes with the flow on the first 3 chapters and then starts to do some plotting. To facilitate this, I'm off to have lunch with Emma tomorrow to do some brainstorming.

Have I mentioned that my novel is in the romance genre. In the UK they are called Mills and Boon novels, in the US and Canada, Harlequin Romances. I did try to write one of these once before. Though I did manage to come up with some interesting plot lines, I never got further than the second chapter. So, already I am more successful than in the past. I am not necessarily expecting to be published but that would be nice. At the moment, I am simply interested in proving to myself that I can finish a novel. I also want to learn from this novel.

Food, Writing and the erotic

Of late, my favorite detective fiction writer is Donna Leon. Her detective lives in Venice and when he's not chasing criminals, he is eating the most wonderful meals cooked by his wife. And of course there are wines to go with these meals. Here is a quote from Suffer The Little Children:

Brunetti usually disliked eating the same thing for lunch and dinner, but the tuna steaks Paola had simmered in a sauce of capers, olives and tomatoes could hardly be said to have originated on the same planet as the tuna tramezzini he had eaten fro lunch. Tact and good sense prevented his making any reference to the latter, since comparison even with such paltry opposition might offend. He and his son Raffi shared the last piece of fish, and Brunetti spooned the remainder of the sauce on to his own second helping of rice.

"Dessert?" Chiara asked her mother, and Brunetti realized that he had managed to save space for something sweet.

"There's fig ice-cream," Paola said, filling Brunetti with a flush of anticipation....

Sensational it was, and after the four of them had managed to knock off an entire kilo, Brunetti and Paola repaired to the living room, each with a small glass of grappa, just what Brunett's Uncle Ludovico had always prescribed to counteract the effects of heavy meal.

I can't but wonder how it would be possible to do the same with a British detective. How could steak and kidney pie or a hamburger ever be as sensual as some of the dishes Brunetti describes. Moveover, he goes home for lunch! What detective does that! I love it!

I've been a bit preoccupied by the sensuality of food and drink in the last week. I'm not sure why. Reading another Donna Leon novel probably did it. So,when I went into a book shop yesterday looking for a book on Chinese cooking, I couldn't resist a book by Isabel Allende, Aphrodite: the love of food and the food of love.
This from the introduction:

The fiftieth year of our life is like
the last hour of dusk,
when the sun has set and one turns
naturally towards reflection.
In my case, however, dusk incites me to sin,
and perhaps for that reason,
in my fiftieth year I find myself reflecting
on my relationship
with food and eroticism: the weaknesses
of the flesh that most tempt
me are not, alas,
those I have practiced most.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Just a coincidence, I must add.