Category Archives: Stories We Tell

This week has been busy. More not good busy than good busy but that’s life. I’m pretty worn out. I’m not feeling the need to be online everyday. In fact, I’m not feeling the need to be online at all. Except that my photos are backing up a bit. And I hate that. So I’ll play catch up and then see whether the urge to be online returns. At the very least it won’t be hanging over my head.

Admin note: Swap stuff still going on. Emails, replies and comments are on hold. I’m checking my email but not really answering it at the moment.

Talk about writing:

I have a real problem with writing. My problem is that I have a really bad habit of zooming through what I write. I’m like one of those harassed, overly busy tour guides: “on your left we have the introduction, on the right, the conflict. Over there’s the denouement and right in front of us, the conclusion. Thank you for reading, please don’t forget your belongings while you disembark the book.” I do not know where this comes from. By all accounts on the blog (and in emails for those of you unfortunate enough to be on my frequently emailed list) I can be verbose. Indeed I can sometimes not shut up. So WHY can’t I take a well planned and thought out plot and stretch it into a book? I read J. the opening of the stuff I’m working on at the moment and he a) was distracted halfway through by something it reminded him of (never a good sign) and b) told me that it felt like I was rushing through it to try and get it done. UGH.

Is it because I write too much poetry? I don’t know that I’ve mentioned it but I have been writing a poem a day for a few months now. I have never liked writing poetry. It is too easy. It comes too easily and I’m never quite sure that I’m *saying anything* worth writing. Sure it’s a great way to sum up my thoughts for the day. But is it hampering me? I am not about to write an epic poem. It would bore everyone, including myself.

So I don’t know. Anyone else have this problem? It’s the basic, everyday stuff I have problems with. Actiony type scenes and heartfelt pleas are fine. How to get character A from their house to another house where we introduce characters B, C and D? It’s very close to teleportation speeds, seriously.

Hrm. I wonder if it’s my tendency to caffeinate while writing. Maybe I ought to switch to herbal teas or something. (Know any good ones?)

Also? Tense and point of view. In a word, ugh.

Dream of a vacation:

Back when I was at university I had a thing for the idea of travel. I’d made one trip to the UK and that was it for me. From then on it was Italy and France and Iceland and Russia and anywhere else I could manage. Being a broke student I got very used to dreaming and preparing while not actually doing and going. But I used to love travel magazines. I remember Travel and Leisure being like the travel bible for me. It’s been a rough couple of weeks so I decided to pick up a travel magazine to help me dream away some of the terrible urge to get away. And it did help. But more than that, it’s really brought home the idea of where I am. I am used to thinking of how many thousands it would take to get myself to Italy (for instance). From London it’s £79 roundtrip to Genoa. A trip to The Maldives? About £2000 for the both of us including flights, rooms and transfers. In short, the problem now for getting away isn’t money. It’s life. This week I have a medical test and a doctor’s appointment. Later this month? Dentist appointments, I’m being seen back in the breast clinic (where they will hopefully tell me it is Not Cancer). J’s got three shows with his band set up and there’s a big reunion-y type get together. And that’s what’s scheduled as of now, before the month begins. It isn’t money that’s keeping us from getting away, it’s the thing we want to get away *from*.

Show you how I spent my Tuesday:

This is Melissa and Peter. Melissa is from Texas and Peter is from London. When Melissa came to visit they took in Winchester and so we went to see them. It was great fun but oh my goodness was it COLD!

Some Winchestering took place:

These two are my favorite:

Do a photo catch up from this week:

Monday Favorites.

Finding new recipes. Including this one for rhubarb ginger brulee. Which is *heavenly*.

Coffee.

Pretty flowers.

Knitting group on Sunday.

From last week (or so):

And share a random bit of fun:

Meet my phone. It is old. It slides. I like sliding phones. I bet yours is much shinier. (And yes, I think you should post to Flickr/your blog with a picture.)

Tomorrow I have two health related appointments: an breast ultrasound and a GP appointment to get back all the results for the recent slew of blood tests. Wish me luck.