I got there!

I got to my office this morning and I put together my fan (how hard can it be? I thought. The instructions were in THAI, so when it said 'remove the plastic protector sleevy thing', I didn't know I had to do that. Eventually, I worked out that that bit was too fat for that bit, so something had to change, and I got there in the end.)

Then I rushed off to my appointment at 12.

I got back to my office at 2pm, armed with lunch: Dim Sum and fresh orange juice, both bought on the street - (total cost £1.50ish)

And a full two hours to write. I was a bit slow getting into it because I haven't written for a week, but I got going in the end, and wrote 1200 words. My 'sick children' week was a blessing in the end, because last week I was really nervous of the pressure of the 'Office' but all of that worry had evaporated in the desperate need to get down there and write. HURRAH.

Thanks to everyone for their well wishing. xxx

No more sickness of any kind...

On Friday night we went out as a family to eat steak. We had a really lovely meal but I was stuffed full, TTT, (tummy touching table) and should have walked home, but was wearing silly shoes so we had to take a taxi.

On Saturday we went shopping. Husband bought GIGANTIC trainers for Son. Son is 13 years old and is wearing sized 10 trainers, and we both felt a bit sick. Last time Husband bought trainers for Son he was a child sized 10. Daughter was bought her first something that I shouldn’t discuss here, for sensitivity reasons, and now between the two of them, I feel about 74. Husband bought me my birthday present (a week early) which made me a bit sick with excitement. (I am neither 74 nor 75 on this upcoming birthday!)

On Saturday night we met friends at the Londoner pub for the rugby. Oh my, sick with anticipation, but so as not to offend my Australian readership, I shall be calm and gracious (- but we always get beaten, so it was fab…)

On our way to Sunday lunch, I issued a pronouncement.

‘No more sick children. I want to go to my office this week’.

And that is what I shall do.

I want more

I’ve been banging on here, here and here about my new ‘how to’ book being the most useful yet. One of the things that I love about it is that they use several novels to illustrate each of the points they are making.

The only drawback is that unfortunately I hadn’t read any of them - though the tome that is ‘Tom Jones’ has been on my TBR pile for about three years. I haven’t found that this has detracted from the (mostly) intelligent information being conveyed though because enough explanation is given each time.

What it has accomplished is to whet my appetite for some of the books. (The books they use are Madame Bovary, Tom Jones, The Grapes of Wrath, The Pearl, From Here to Eternity, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Spy Who Came in From the Cold.) In my school days some of these books were English O and A level texts – but they were never ones I came across.

I wonder did I let that put me off? I said in my book meme last week how much I loved the texts that I did at school – a combination of fabulous writing, wonderful teaching (see here and here for Mrs D worship) and enthusiastic readers all around me.

So having found Structuring Your Novel so helpful, I started reading some of the books. Last week I read John Steinbeck’s The Pearl and this week I read Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. (This was also on someone’s book meme but I can’t remember whose!)

OH MY GOD, how can I have reached 40 and never read To Kill a Mockingbird? I loved it, I loved it so much. I want to start back at the beginning and read it again. I loved Atticus, and Calpurnia and Scout. I want more.

On boring you all to death

Today Son is in school. Daughter is Not. Swappsies.

Daughter had the cold first and insisted, after Monday off, to return on Tuesday and Wednesday. I knew I should’ve said no, but I was ‘ineffective mother.’ When your child is saying ‘I really want to go to school’ how can you say no? Well, like that I guess: No. (Who’s in charge here?) But I didn’t, she went and now she’s off school again. She’s quite poorly and I am cross with myself for letting her persuade me she was okay. She wasn’t.

So today I had to cancel breakfast with husband and send my apologies to my meeting.

However, I am going to write from home. My wee pink office will wait. I have an article for my friend in the UK to do and then maybe I will write some novel.

And just to prove that I'm not trying to bore my blog friends to death, have a little look at this a funny story about Thai food, from the BBC.

...of mice and men...

I have a key to pale pink room, sublet from lovely lingerie ladies at Smoochie Smoochie.

I have purchased a fan (I have no air con!) and a tiny kettle with an orange handle.

I have installed my new orange (of course) beanbag.

I have borrowed a desk and a chair from Andrew Computer and his lovely wife.

And, I’m the proud owner of a sick Son who is at home and not at school.

So no office today.

Scaredy Cat

Oh god.

Look what I’ve got.

I’m rather scared.

It feels a bit like a last chance …

Here you are – here’s the time, here’s a room, here’s the hardware, the support. Go and do it now.

If I don’t write now, here, with no distractions, then perhaps I really don’t want to do it all that much.

*Gulp*

Odds and Ands

The first of the month always has me thinking of fresh starts. I like opening up a new document (in today’s case, it’s called ‘October’) inside my ‘Postings’ folder, inside my ‘Blog’ folder inside … How tragic that sounds, and yet I feel you will know what I mean.

And October is my favourite month because it’s autumn: gold, orange, red, yellow and brown. (Actually, in Bangkok, it’s just hot and humid still, so I have to dream about the autumnal colours.)

And October is my birthday. Hurrah. And (again) although it means I am another year older I still get unfeasibly excited about my birthday. Husband is very good at presents (no pressure, dear) but I have been whispering in his ear while he is asleep and sending subliminal messages about what I would like this year.

Tomorrow I go and pick up the keys to my ‘office’ - how excited am I? (After one month the office and furniture will turn into a pumpkin and a fleet of little mice if I don’t produce words and that will be an end to my having a special place to write. So I have to work hard to justify it.)

And now I’m going to write.