Grumpy blog 24-03-2021
Spring is finally here for the foreseeable future.
As any old fashioned housewife, I have been very busy finally cleaning our home properly. There always seems to be nicer things to do and in winter without my reading glasses, I don’t see it anyway.
The outside needs another layer of paint too. A much nicer job. I am two-thirds on the way.
Another job was to plant out the few vegetables I like to dabble in in case of an apocalypse I have to grow my own. So far our future diet will consist of a variety of lettuce and tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, redbeets, leeks and I hope avocado. All flavoured with loads of herbs.
I wanted to try potatoes, but as I live surrounded by potatoe farms, it seemed a silly thing to do now.
I am a vegetarian, so I won’t have to deal with animals and any dogs I have will just have to eat my neighbours chickens. preferably the rooster, who starts at three am!
Other things I know, as I am of the pre-digital, pre-cheap clothing generation, are knitting, sewing, building and repairing stuff.
I would be an ideal addition to your survivors’camp.
With part of my book at a new editor, who will supposedly retutn it end of April, I have felt in a holiday mood.
But with this blog I will return to the grindstone and continue the sequel.
They asked me for a Synopsis. I sent what I thought was one, but I have been reading far too much advice on writing one and now think I did it all wrong.
Apparently, I sent them a Summary.
When I am happy with the level of the edits, I will send in the whole thing. Probably edited yet again, taking on board the remarks I get on the first 20 chapters.
I feel I got the right company now and am grateful for my Twitter writer friends who helped me decide.
For fun, I have been making maps for the sequel, which will inspire me when I write the story. I have an excellent idea of how it will go—much more than when I wrote the first book. Hopefully, I can make it the last of the series. (Grammarly changed this to ‘Hopefully I can make it TO the last of the series.’ Well, Grammarly, I have no intention of dying any time soon)
My memoirs are being written too, for my offspring and other family members, which I find easier to do as I have lived a full life and don’t have to make it up. Just put it in a readable and my usual cynical format.
Looking back, I had an amazing amount of fun and happiness. Good to be reminded of it now and then.
The government decided to close the junior schools one week early, which would be rather bad for the two girls I help with their homework. They were doing so well after last years debacle after they closed their school for four months.
So I invited them to come to our house and work through their assignments with me.
The weather was beautiful, and we had the lessons outside. They insisted on looking like models; they are 10-year-old girls, so I gave them sunglasses and hats. We managed to finish the massive amount of work they had been given. As a reward, they came last week for my usual Fun day, a whole day with no talk about school but just two little friends hanging out, a picnic on the lawn, a big cycle ride (a first for both) in our local Nature Reserve watching birds with their binoculars. My husband, a keen birdwatcher, went with us and explained all about them. They were so enthusiastic about everything. Their squeals probably kept a few from their tasks. They give us a lot of pleasure, preparing us for grandparenthood if that ever comes to pass.
This week the usual Thursday homework sessions start again. They each have some sunflowers growing and some vegetables—another source of delight for them.
I am glad they are an example of the Dutch proverb ‘ A child’s hand is easy to fill’.
