February already and I have not written quite as much as I should have. Is it an advantage or disadvantage that I do not need to do it for a living? Probably is. On Twitter I follow most of my favourite writers and they seem to write thousands of words a day and end up with 5 to 600 page books that are often quite good as well. Plus they twitter like there is no tomorrow, but maybe some have someone doing it for them.
The world building is the easiest part and the story arcs as well, but what I find hardest is dialogue. Always been an ‘actions speak louder than words’ person myself. So I often find my characters’conversations sound stilted and the story running better when they are actually doing something. After all the thousands of books I have read I should have it down by now. I get so carried away with the story in those books I do not pay attention to exactly how they talk. Ah well, it keeps me out of mischief.

This summer I will have been 65 years on this earth and it is quite nice to realise some things you do not have to do or worry about anymore.
I was triggered by a letter from the Health Office that I was not part of preventive health examinations anymore. Naturally that could mean these cancers do not appear after a certain age or if you get them and die, society is not losing a valuable member. The jury is still out on that.
As an example when I bought a really expensive new bed not so long ago and the sales man said it was guaranteed to stay comfortable for at least 15 years, I thought ‘that is the last bed I probably bought in my life’.
After being a bit of a shopaholic all my life now I rarely buy clothes as I know what I have will do me until the end. Macabre but very good for my wallet.
As I took early retirement , pensions is not something I have to worry about as well.
Even though having pensions from 4 different countries is not easy. The countries are all in the European Union but one country knows nothing from the other countries unless I tell them.
Every January I have to tell the countries I am not living in that I am still alive by sending them a signed statement from our town hall. You would think that is some sort of central database for that.
That is why I don’t get the Brexiteers, as even being in the EU the countries all operate their own pension schemes, social rules and taxes. You have the freedom to work in the other EU countries but they will all try to make you pay THEIR taxes.
In this day of digital working and being able to contribute less to climate change by working at home, my husband now has to prove that he physically does all his work in the Netherlands. Your body has to be more than 183 days in the work country to not to have to pay taxes in the country where you live. And you would think they only count the working days, but no weekends and holidays count as well. So there is no actual free movement in the EU. No equality. Just tax and trade arrangements.
The same time the above law came into being the Dutch suddenly ruled that you have to pay tax on more than your 90% of your world income(that includes your wife’s as well and your house) to be able to get tax benefits. So you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
Just to show those deluded souls who want to leave the EU : It has no benefits at all, just screw up your trade. But you hear enough of this subject everywhere so I won’t mention it until the 29th of March : E-day!

Today I was roped in to look after my neighbour’s 8 year old daughter for the whole day. She is a lovely and very transparent girl.
As I am absolutely no use entertaining small children, never was with my own, I got my extensive Barbie collection out and after her breakfast she was happily playing with them.
After 40 minutes (!!!) she said to me:”I think I have had it with Barbies for today”. I went in a full scale panic. It was only a quarter to 9, so it was 1 hour down 7 more to go.
I fearfully remembered my son’s 4th birthday party at the local church hall (never at home)where I thought I had prepared enough games for fifteen 4 year-olds, to keep busy for a long time. You know what I mean. Pin the tail, egg race etc. It was supposed to keep the creatures busy for at least 2 hours after which they could gorge themselves on the vast amounts of junk food I had ready. After 1 hour they were done!!! Thank god for my husband who then for a whole hour organised races with all the equipment from the coffee mornings.
After that I swore never to even try organise such events and put my kids in the hands of Tony the Magician, a marvellous entertainer who made them laugh like mad and wonder at his magic tricks. I adored that man. All was well until today. We will now leave for our local card museum, whose claim to fame is that they make most playing cards in the world and a lot of board games as well.
Apparently they have a kiddies tour and keep busy sessions. Pancakes for lunch and a movie session at home. This day will end.