Author of the Month

Back to normal prayer time today – though it has to be said that my prayer time is rarely, if ever, normal – so here’s today’s meditation:

Meditation 118

When you open your eyes
you see houses

filled with good things
you did not buy,

wells you did not dig,
vineyards and olive trees

you did not plant:
all the echo and life

of another displaced people,
another lost nation.

Meanwhile, much to my surprise, the plumber actually came back yesterday and finished the job, hurrah! So I fear I must eat humble pie with cream at my earlier cynicism and despair this week. Still, I should be used to that by now, eh. And it all looks wonderful – ye gods, we even have a working thermostat, which we haven’t had for 16 years so I can foresee many fun-filled evenings with me turning it up because I’m cold and Lord H turning it down because he’s hot. Marriage is a wonderful thing, you know. Mind you, Lord H does have the advantage over me as he appears to understand how the funny buttony thingy with all the gadgets works, so he has complete power over when the hot water and heating come on and go off. It’s all a mystery to me.

For the rest of this morning, I’ve continued on with the battle scenes of Hallsfoot’s Battle and am now at the high levels of the 114,000 word range. Something’s about to happen too (well, there’s a novelty …), but who knows what. Perhaps an idea will occur to me tomorrow – who can tell?

This afternoon, I’ve snoozed and chilled my way through a totally glorious Clarins back massage and facial. Mmm, bliss. There was slight confusion at the start though as they appear to have cancelled my appointment (who knows why), but luckily Hilary was free anyway and glad of something to do, so in the end everything was as if I’d never been unilaterally cancelled at all. In fact it was so blissful that I fell asleep several times – am I now officially entering the Tired Zone of Life?? It’s all downhill from here, you know, but hell at least you pick up speed.

Ooh and tonight there are chips for tea, which just make everything worthwhile. I’ve also made an effort at marketing this week (well, gosh!) so I am now Author of the Month (though possibly not for long as it’s May tomorrow!) on the LoveWriting site, and you can also find Maloney’s Law and A Dangerous Man there too. With this unexpected breeze behind me, I’ve added Maloney’s Law to thefReado book site and am planning to add A Dangerous Man up there at some point too. I hope it’ll spark some kind of interest in the novels, but I’ll have to see.

Today’s nice things:

1. Poetry
2. A working central heating/hot water system
3. Writing Hallsfoot
4. Clarins massage
5. A marketing push.

Anne Brooke
Anne’s website – enjoying a brief flare of fame

Packing panics and a London jaunt

Well, the plumber did at least turn up yesterday and has done something, though the boiler’s still not fixed up yet. It strikes me that it would be easier if he actually allocated some reasonable time to it and got it finished, rather than just keep popping in and doing a bit here and there when he can. It can’t be a great use of his time and it’s certainly doing my head in. Lord alone knows when he’s coming back as well – it’s a mystery …

Meanwhile, here at the work front, I’m in early as Lord H gave me a lift in as I’m up in London tonight, so there’s no meditation poem today – no time for prayer, alas. Lord H’s essential London travel tip in these health-conscious times: if you see someone in a big hat who’s sneezing, run like the wind … Hmm, that’ll stop me getting swine fever, I’m sure, and is it a tad too much national stereotyping?? … Ah well.

Anyway I am still labelling up the office as if there will be no tomorrow (which for me there won’t – at least not at work, part-timer that I am), and trying to get everything done before the move next week. This becomes all the more important as I am not hugely confident that we’ll have access to computers and phones as soon as we’d like once we’re in the new place, but we live in hope, eh. In this as in so many other things. The Dean and I have also had a scout round the new place and made a list of all the items that aren’t working yet or which should be removed before we start to invade. You can tell he’s an engineer, can’t you? I had to persuade him not to try to fix the radiator himself while he was there, as being not a great use of Dean time. He’s threatening to bring in his paint pot too, so goodness knows what our décor will be like this time next week. Anyway, I’ve given the list of oddities to our Estates and Facilities people, and I’m hoping they’ll work their magic before Tuesday. And great news – we have had a delivery of more crates! Plus the nice young men who delivered them have also managed to separate the two crates that were stuck, so we can now start packing things away once more. It’ll make a change from the labelling for sure.

Managed to get out for a soothing lunchtime walk and also popped into the art gallery on my way round. There are some interesting pictures there from a variety of artists as part of the run-up to Surrey Artists’ Open Studio month, so that was good to see. It’s an event I always think is a wonderful idea, but somehow I never end up attending anything – the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak indeed. Oh and we have ducklings by the lake, hurrah.

This afternoon, I’ve consoled myself for this morning’s poetry rejection (the fools! The fools! Whatever can they be thinking??…) with my last Starbucks decaff cappuccino in this office. Lord but it tasted good. And tonight I’m off to London to see the old University girls and catch up over the essential Italian (food, my dears, food …). I’m hoping it won’t be too late an evening, as I’m not sure I can take the pace any more – last night, I actually fell asleep in front of the telly, which caused Lord H much amusement. I’ve never done that before – is it the slippery slope? However he reassures me that no doubt they’ll repeat Dan Cruickshank’s programme on Kew at some point, so I can catch up on the story of rubber that I missed. Always good to have something to look forward to, eh.

Today’s nice things:

1. The appearance of more crates
2. Art
3. Ducklings
4. Starbucks
5. Pizza and chat.

Anne Brooke
Anne’s website – all packed up and ready to go

Plumbers and packing

Today’s the day the plumber is supposed to turn up to do what I hope will be the final tweaks to our boiler and heating system – bearing in mind that this has been going on since last year, I have to say my patience is wearing rather thin. He may be really sweet and good at his job, but I do wish he’d put a rocket up his bottom and light the touch paper. I’ll even do that for him, if need be – no anaesthetics required. At this rate, it’ll be Christmas by the time it’s sorted out, sigh … It would be so nice to be able to turn off the heating over summer after all – which at the moment we can’t do as the hot water and heating are currently joined at the hip. So no heat equals no hot water. Still, we live in hope, eh.

Am continuing bravely on with the task of packing up the office for our move. I now have six crates full of stuff and it ain’t over yet. We desperately need more crates and the Estates men are even now going through the campus with the proverbial tooth-comb trying to find some for us. And I haven’t even started on the boss’s filing … I would make the attempt but the last two crates are stuck together and I think only prayer and fasting will prise them apart. Talking of which, here’s today’s meditation:

Meditation 117

When God had his chance,
there on the mountain

of fire and death,
you would have thought

he’d have picked
a whole lot more

than just ten commandments.

Andrea and I had a quick visit again to our new offices – in Senate House itself no less, so we are going upmarket, my dears. Soon you will have to call me madam, and mean it, you know (in a nice way) … I’ve decided, at the last minute, that I don’t like my desk being too near the window, so I’ve switched labels with one further away. I only hope Chaplaincy Ruth doesn’t mind, as that was her desk, but I’ve left an explanatory apologetic note, so I hope it’ll be okay. Lordy but how I hate moving. I won’t feel happy from now until the last crate is unpacked and I’ve bonded with my new space. And I’m already mourning the fact that Starbucks will no longer be next door. I mean how on earth am I supposed to know when the queue is short enough for me to join it?

Still, I had to get my literary head on for the writers’ group at lunchtime. Today’s writing game (and also the homework for next time) was to choose one of the ten first lines of novels I’ve gathered from my rather bizarre and unregimented book collection and then write what happens next. All they have to remember is to ditch that first line when they’re done and things should be fine. I really don’t want a plagiarism lawsuit on my hands after all … UPDATE: Well, it worked for me – I think I’ve started a piece of flash fiction about a skeleton, a man and a wood, but in a fantasy landscape, so we’ll see where that leads me. I quite like it so far.

Tonight, I’m going to gird my proverbial loins and go to visit Gladys on the way home – I’m hoping Mrs Nasty Nurse doesn’t start spitting at me again, as visiting is difficult enough without the nurses proving tricksy also, sigh … I can do without a double dose of grief coming my way for sure – really I can barely cope with a single dose. Not much on TV tonight either, though I might watch Dan Cruickshank waxing lyrical about Kew Gardens. He’s so cute. I’ll also try to get some more of my erotic short story done. It’s bubbling away nicely, but I do like getting things finished. As do the two men involved, of course.

Today’s nice things:

1. Poetry
2. Writers’ group
3. Short stories.

Anne Brooke
Anne’s website – packing away anything that doesn’t breathe …

Rainy days and reflexology

Weird how I thought I’d be better today but the rain has brought with it a sense of impending doom that I just can’t shake. Sigh. Anyway here’s this morning’s meditation:

Meditation 116

Each day brings
a blazing furnace

of its own.
You can only

walk through it,
hoping for the promised land

of night.

Roll on home time, eh. Though, dammit, but I have to go shopping before I can get to my promised (home)land, so I’m not looking forward to that. Meanwhile the changes to the parental guidelines document have come back, so I’m hoping I can make some kind of sense of it, but I don’t think it’s going to be soon. Which of course means the personal tutors’ handbook has to snuggle down into its customary position of the back-burner once more. Double sigh. UPDATE – have managed to do the first tranche of changes, hurrah, but it’s a long process and I suspect we’ll need to go through several versions before we get to a final one. We’re getting there, as they say.

Thank goodness for reflexology at lunchtime – I really, really needed it. Without it, I fear the day would be even darker. This afternoon, I struggled on with document changes, plus I began to think about sorting out my stuff for the office move next week. Lordy, how I hate change. I have to get all my general mish-mash of papers and files either thrown away or into crates by the end of Wednesday, and I’m not really confident that will be the case. Still, at least I’ve made a start – sort of.

Anyway, after shopping (which I’m trying not to think about too much right now), at least there’s Ashes to Ashes on to take my mind off my moaning. Ye gods and little fishes, but something has to. Triple sighing here from the shires. Oh, but there’s cake for tea, hurrah – chocolate chip too. Suddenly the world seems brighter …

Today’s nice things:

1. Poetry
2. Reflexology
3. TV
4. Being at home
5. Cake.

Anne Brooke
Anne’s website – wondering why Mondays exist at all …

Bones cover, birds and tea

First off, I must say that I’ve had the first sight of what I hope will turn out to be the book cover for The Bones of Summer and I am hugely happy with it indeed. It’s fabulous. I do hope it’s the oneDreamspinner Press will go with. Sorry that you can’t see it yet but as and when it’s confirmed and up on their site I shall let you know! I love it.

Other literary news is that two of my poems are going to be published in the upcoming inaugural edition of Apparatus Magazine so that’s very cheering news. Thanks, Adam!

Meanwhile, here’s this morning’s meditation:

Meditation 115

No matter
the high walls,
gates and bars

you construct
around you
to keep out God.

He’ll sweep in
nonetheless
in his own good time

which is worrying enough,
it’s true,

but more worrying still
if he doesn’t.

Good Sunday material, I think. Despite all that, we’ve skipped church today (shame on us!) and have spent a lovely relaxed morning inWisley instead. Birds spotted today, I think for the first time this year, include a mistle thrush and a marsh tit, hurrah. We also spotted green finches, chaffinches, blue tits, great tits, a coal tit, a jay and a great spotted woodpecker – so all the usual suspects indeed. Oh and there were some nice flowers too, you’ll be pleased to hear. The rhododendrons are huge, Carruthers, huge, and very colourful. I only knew what they were because of the labelling, I’m ashamed to say. Usually I can barely tell a daisy from a daffodil (you mean there’s a difference??).

Anyway, we ate out at the Wisley cafe (very nice, but really they should do a decent range of salads – surely it can’t be hard?), and then sped back home as Pauline & Tony, with Darren, popped round for afternoon tea and chat. Goodness me, how very civilised we are today and how very Surrey. Lovely to see all three of them and a brilliant catch-up time. The Waitrose chocolate chip cake went down extremely well too – I can definitely recommend that one to all and sundry. 

Tonight there’s sod all on TV – groan … However the exciting news is that the lovely and very talented Catherine Walter has let me have one of her OU short stories for feedback so I’m hugely looking forward to reading that. It’s bound to inspire me this evening, so thank you, Cathy! I’m not at all convinced I’ll have anything useful to add though …

And this week’s haiku is:

He carries the world
in his arms; it’s purposeful,
wrapped in black netting.

Today’s nice things:

1. Seeing the cover for Bones, hurrah!
2. Two more poems being accepted for publication
3. Poetry
4. Visiting Wisley, and birds
5. Friends for tea
6. Cathy’s story
7. Haikus.

Anne Brooke
Anne’s website – sometimes you can judge a book by its cover …

Disappointing places and a Maloney twin

Some exciting news on the book front – for the first and only time in my literary career, Maloney’s Law actually has a buying twin on Amazon in the US. Well, gosh! I’ve never had any of my books paired up with another for buying purposes before – I’ve no idea what, if anything, it might signify but it almost makes me feel like a real author, don’t you know. Not sure how long it will actually last, but in case it’s still there (click quickly to avoid disappointment and you’ll need to scroll down to see it …) the link is here - though strangely the actual twinned book seems to have changed since this morning. What on earth can it all mean? Anyway, Maloney’s mate, whatever it is now, is certainly a wild choice so everyone should have a lot of fun with that for sure!

Still on matters literary, here’s this morning’s meditation:

Meditation 114

Walk the desert,
track each grain of sand

with your skin,
and on your tongue

taste the full extent
of wilderness.

When at last you turn north,
the clear light

you find there
will brand your memory

like death or war
onto forgotten earth.

Start the weekend off with a jolly ditty is what I say, eh. Ah well. Talking of which, I’m in two minds about Mike Barlow’s poetry collection, Another Place. It started off so well and I was hugely excited by the depth and dynamism of the subject matter and style of this one. But there was some very serious and rather disappointing sagging going on in the middle and somehow, in the final analysis, the collection as a whole just doesn’t gel together as one, although there are some extraordinarily good poems in there. You just somehow lose sight of them in the general filling however. I felt very much as if it was a chapbook desperately trying to be heard in the middle of a too big collection. The way I sometimes feel that some novels are actually short stories trying to get out. If it had been a chapbook, with the very good poems included therein then it would have been top-notch indeed. Some of those poems of real excellence include: June Bug (with its real historical immediacy); A Night Out (wonderful humour and humanity); Something Between Us (romance and humour – fabulous); Hot Pursuit (bikes rides, love and reality); and my utter favourite, Frisking The Poem (what a poem looks like when it first turns up, aha!). One to read maybe, but don’t be afraid of skipping.

Today, Lord H and I have visited The Vyne in Basingstoke and walked around the grounds admiring the wildlife and enjoying the view from their one bird hide. New birds spotted for this year are house martins and redshanks, hurrah. There are also lots of ducklings looking totally cute and fluffy (Girly Moment Alert!!), and nesting swans and coots. Spring has indeed sprung, I believe.

Back home, I’ve been working away on Hallsfoot’s Battle and am now in the high ranges of 113,000 words. You’ll be pleased to hear that Ralph has woken up and is attempting to do something vaguely useful in the middle of the angst (about time too …) and I’ve at last remembered that the mountain dogs are there – I’d forgotten them until Ralph woke up, sigh … Lordy, but never believe that the author is in full control of events. My, how we laughed at that notion. It’s all done on a wing and a prayer, you know.

Tonight, we’re looking forward to battling with dinosaurs in the next episode of Primeval, and there’s the last episode of Alan Whicker’s past journeys that I missed before and I really must catch up with. Talking of the past come back, I have to say that ever since I heard about it, I’ve been very grumbly and cross about how anyone has dared to take the great icon and acting genius that was Leonard (may his name be praised) Rossiter and the incomparable Reginald Perrin series and attempt to reinvent them both – but Lord H persuaded me to give the reinvention a chance last night, and I have to say it was all right. Okay, it’s not Rossiter and it’s certainly not Perrin as we knew and loved him, but I think the first episode stood up okay and even made us both laugh on occasion. It’s not as dark as the original, but as a reinterpretation of a classic for the modern times, I think it might be worth a go. I shall certainly watch the second episode anyway.

Today’s nice things:

1. Maloney’s changing twin
2. Poetry
3. The Vyne
4. Birds
5. Writing Hallsfoot
6. TV.

Anne Brooke
Anne’s website – she’s actually the evil twin, you know …

Chick lit and prayer

The ideal combination, don’t you know. Though, actually, I suspect The Vicar of Dibley may well already have gone that route. Anyway, the good news of today is that the Chick Lit Review has accepted my short story, The Driving Force, for future publication, so that’s nice. Combined with that (and in honour of the title of this blog), my meditation poem number eleven is now published by Haruah Magazine and can be found here.

Talking of meditation, I’m back to the Bible reading and starting Deuteronomy today, so here this morning’s poem:

Meditation 113

The past lies in wait
and its mysteries

are ever before us.
Walk through its country

with care,
separating river from earth,

sky from rock,
truth from dream

until you are left
bathed only in light

and the scent of your journey.

I’ve also played golf with Marian, and her daughter Jane also came along, so a triple-whammy of golfing gals indeed. None of us played brilliantly, but I wasn’t quite as off-form as the other two, so I managed to win, hurrah. Okay, by one point only, but hey who’s counting … It was fun too playing with a mother-daughter team – goodness me, they’re competitive when they’re together! It made me feel extraordinarily chilled, which is unusual for me on the golf course. I’m usually extraordinarily focused. And, yes, competitive.

I’ve managed to write another 1000 words of Hallsfoot’s Battle and am now happily in the 112,000 range. I’ve had an idea for the grand finale of the battle too, which took me by surprise. But which makes sense. Not sure how I’m going to get there, as I have a hell of a lot of viewpoints to take into account and I’m also rather worried about Ralph (he’s down on the floor, captain, and he dang well won’t get up …). I’ll have to raise his game soon. After all, he is the only real soldier in the mix, poor dear. He ought to do at least some decent fighting.

This afternoon, I’ve been standing and sitting in my Alexander technique lesson. This week’s focus is balance and the pelvis. Up until now, the location of my pelvis has been a complete mystery to me, my dears (well, I only did Biology up to O Level), but I think I have a vague inkling as to its whereabouts now. But I still probably couldn’t find it with a compass. Mind you, I can’t find any ruddy thing with a compass, so that’s no surprise.

Tonight, the new series of Have I Got News for You? starts, thank the Lord. That’s been a long time returning – what have we done without it? Nothing else on but that though (sigh …) so I may as well do some cleaning. I really have to tidy the flat as we have people coming for tea on Sunday. People though! Whatever next?…

Today’s nice things:

1. A short story acceptance
2. Poetry publication
3. Poetry
4. Golf
5. Hallsfoot battle plans
6. Alexander technique
7. TV.

Anne Brooke
Anne’s website – battling through on a wing and a prayer

Candy and Catharsis

Am hugely pleased to say that Candy and Catharsis, my comic short story about the loves, tragedies and traumas of living in a dictionary (well, it’s a hard life for a working word …), has now been published by The Oddville Press and can be found in their free Issue 3 magazine download here. It’s the first story you scroll down to and I hope you enjoy the read. It should at the very least raise several laughs on this bright and bubbly afternoon.

Keeping on matters literary, I’ve been in poetic mood and have written a couple of poems over the last day or so – one came to me while I was doing my back exercises and the other while I was driving home from the shop. Whilst paying due care and attention to the road conditions, naturally. I was also thrilled to be asked by the marvellousNik Perring to contribute a haiku to an upcoming book of photographs and words that’s being produced for charity. More information on this exciting new project can be found at today’s entry on Nik’s blog. Do have a read and admire the photograph – it’s great! And have a go at the competition if you feel so inspired too. Oh and yes, I’ve sent him my offering already (for a different picture), so thanks again, Nik.

Apologies though for the lack of meditation poem today – I was sent skittering frantically from my bed at 6am with a rampant bout of girly pain (say no more – oh, actually, I’m going to anyway, sorry …), and so any concept of Bible reading went out the window while I was searching for a hot water bottle, painkillers and the Deep Heat cream. I wonder if this unexpected onslaught (usually my monthly pain levels are far more under control than that these days …) might have been partly caused by the fact that I forgot my HRT gel last night? If so, it’s certainly taught me my lesson, I can tell you. Anyway, Lord H rubbed my back while I groaned for a while (what a hero!), but thankfully all is now well. I can never find the words to say how utterly utterly wonderful it is when the pain stops. Complete heaven indeed.

Back to the literary life, I have written another 1000 words ofHallsfoot’s Battle and I think I have more ideas about the battle scenes. Thank goodness. I’ve got rid of one secondary character too – rather too harshly, I suspect, so I may have to revisit the handling of that in the edit. So I’m now at the 111,000 range and back into Simon’s viewpoint. He’s not a happy man (or rather half-Gathandrian), believe me. After all, he’s a scribe, not a soldier – as the good Star Trek doctor would say. I feel he’s going to have to learn fast however. Ah well.

Meanwhile, never say TV is not inspirational: as a result of last night’s programme on the building restoration projects updates, I’ve finally become a friend of our local Watts Gallery. It’s not open again until 2010, but friends are allowed to have tours around the site as it progresses, and that’s way too tempting an offer … A building site! Builders! What more could you want?? Anyway, tonight, our viewing pleasures include My Family and Graham Norton (I’ve recently become hooked on this), which are of course inspirational in their own special ways. Not to mention unique.

Today’s nice things:

1. The publication of Candy and Catharsis
2. Writing poems
3. Writing a haiku to order, hurrah!
4. When the pain stops …
5. Getting more of Hallsfoot down
6. The joys of television.

Anne Brooke
Anne’s website – a refuge for troubled words …

Green coats and cappuccinos

A fairly calm day today. Well, phew already. In terms of Bible reading, I’ve got to the end of the Book of Numbers, so here’s my last meditation on that:

Meditation 112

At the end
of all the accounting

it’s evident that women
are allowed to inherit

but must marry
someone else’s choice.

It’s still a long road
until freedom arrives.

At work, I’m onto my second set of minutes and hoping to get the first draft done by the end of today. If my luck is in and the wind is behind me. Ho ho. I’ve also been struggling with the annual agony of trying to work out what my bank holiday entitlement is for the upcoming year as a part-timer. I think this year I don’t owe the University any days and neither do they owe me any, but I’ve sent my first pass at the spreadsheet off to our HR guru and I’ll see what they say … UPDATE – hurrah, I’m right! Well, that’s a first then. It can’t last.

Popped into town at lunchtime to try to see if there might be any clothes to buy that might just suit me. Answer: astonishingly yes! I was searching for trousers, but instead found a lovely three-quarters length light green spring/summer coat with an off-the-wall lining at Per Una. Bliss. Now all I have to do is wait for the opportunity to wear it – which probably means finding something green to go with it when 99% of my wardrobe is basically navy blue, or black. Or occasionally dark green when it’s almost black. Well, I don’t usually like to be too obvious … And maybe those combinations will do? Who can tell? – I am after all a Fashion Ignoramus. Anyway the coat has certainly given me a little frisson of excitement in my day (as it were). And it means that, according to my usual clothes spending habits, I don’t have to buy anything else until next year, hurrah. Plus the sunshine was lovely and it was a nice walk into town. And this afternoon was the first of my Starbucks decaff cappuccino moments since way before Easter. Double bliss. There’s just something about the foam that makes me so happy.

Tonight there’s something on TV updating us about the building restoration programmes which were on last year. It’s not a great choice really, but it does at least break up the vast desert of TV blankness that’s otherwise on. Mind you, that desert does give me a chance to continue working on my erotic short story, so it’s not all bad news, eh.

Today’s nice things:

1. Poetry
2. A new green coat
3. Starbucks cappuccino
4. Short stories.
5. A slice of TV.

Anne Brooke
Anne’s website – a vision in green, don’t you know

Muddling through the day

Well, when do I ever do anything else? Here’s this morning’s rather kick-ass meditation. The aftermath of yesterday, I feel:

Meditation 111

Murder defiles the land.
Still, today, it’s tempting.

I’ve got a list
as long as the Jordan

of people my world
would be better off without.

Making it a sure thing
that if I’d been around

when the Israelites
entered the promised land

I’d have needed a damn sight more
than six cities of refuge

for killers to flee to.

Today, I’ve been keeping my head down at work and attempting to begin writing up one of the sets of minutes I took yesterday. Sometimes, keeping one’s head below the proverbial parapet makes sense … I also added in yet more information to the personal tutors’ handbook. When will it ever end or be ready to print?? A question it is at the moment impossible to answer. I am more than ever convinced that we’ll still be adding new information to it when I’m in my bath chair. Ah well.

Still, I managed to cheer myself up a bit with a walk round campus at lunchtime. Nice to sit by the lake for a while and just chill. I even managed to get my favourite shady bench so didn’t have to do battle with the evil sun, hurrah. Oh and we have a brand-new photocopier/printer in the office which does virtually everything except brush your hair. I love it. I love it so much I think I want to run away with it and have its babies. Don’t tell Lord H. The only really really big problem is that its start button glows blue (the photocopier’s, not Lord H’s …) and it’s just not natural – everyone knows the start button on photocopiers should be green. I keep having to look for it as it simply isn’t the right colour, sigh …

Tonight, there’s absolutely nothing on TV. Bummer. Though at least it means I can get more done to my erotic short story. I’m working on the beginning of it at the moment. Oh though I must say how good Ashes to Ashes was last night – much more exciting and I even warmed to the usually ice-cold Alex. She seemed almost normal this time, though (being picky) I really didn’t like her hair. Lordy, what a bitch I am.

Today’s nice things:

1. Poetry
2. Lying low
3. Lunchtime walks around the lake
4. Fiddling around with the short story (as it were).

Anne Brooke
Anne’s website – still looking for the green button