Non events

Not a lot happening at the moment. Office work still continuing and as usual, chatted with the children during the weekend. Made plans for post Christmas.

Got my missing filling attended to today. It was one of those doubles right at the back and I think the dentist had his arm down my throat. Still at least I wasn't subjected to the drill, nor an injection. And he checked my other teeth and all was OK. I've been eating very delicately since then. I don't want to have to return too quickly.

I've been attending to my article on Goldenford, which I will try out on Writers' Forum. Received a rejection of the story I sent to Writers' News. Disappointing - not even a short-listed this time. Though I comfort myself with the fact that A Glimpse of the Sky wasn't shortlisted by WN, but was by the Guildford short story competition and now the HE Bates comp.

Tomorrow, my car door should arrive at the garage. So, providing it's OK, I'll be losing it for three days. So I'll be shopping tomorrow, as I'll be marooned here until the weekend.

Office work

A really boring evening yesterday. A full two hours spent taking dictation - more invoices to be done - customer requires them for the end of their financial year. So this morning, I spent some time unwinding - probably a bit too much. Did the codewords puzzle in the Evening Standard and then played several computer games. Guilt overcame me around lunch time and I sorted out the invoices, printed them out, filed the copies, etc., etc.

While taking and collecting M from the station, I had another marvellous view of autumn colours. I tried to describe them in my head - the golden browns set against the red brick of our mainly Victorian village, but how do you describe autumn leaves; golden browns, warm browns, yellowy browns? Can a writer ever do justice to scenery in the way an artist can? I asked this in a poem I composed some time ago. One keeps trying, probably, in the same way that some artists repeatedly choose the same subject and try to reproduce it over and over again, each time aiming for perfection, or perhaps something better than last time.

Shortly after we got in, there was a downpour, so just as well I wasn't driving then. It was torrential. As it was, on my journey out, I noticed quite a few fallen branches. Autumn is very late this year. The leaves are only just falling, but the high winds and heavy rain will soon bring them all down.

I heard the other day from Wendy Lloyd with the names of the first three short stories in the Radio Southern Counties competition. I wasn't one of them, but was still very happy to have been featured on their website and paid for my story, Damaged Goods. http://www.bbc.co.uk/southerncounties/content/articles/2006/06/13/story_jackie_luben.shtml

Book-keeping

I just noticed on my Home Page, BBC Radio 4 that Ed Reardon is on tonight. That's one of the best comedy programmes in the 6.30 p.m. slot, in my opinion - and not just mine, because it won some sort of award. It appeals to me at two levels, because he's an impecunious writer and gives creative writing classes to supplement his income and does book signings where no-one turns up. Although I've never done a creative writing class, I do empathise with this very true view of the writer, rather than the one who earns hundreds of thousands of pounds.

I've been very industrious today and made inroads into the bookkeeping. I did a couple of hours last night too, after watching Bramwell on satellite. This is a very good, intelligent series about a woman doctor at the end (I think) of the 19th century. Somehow I never watched it, other than a few episodes when it was out first time around, so I'm enjoying it as fresh TV.

I'm one of those few people who doesn't mind book-keeping. I find it soothing. You don't have to think too hard, and it must be almost like meditation, where you allow your mind to drift. It mustn't drift too much, or you put things in the wrong columns. When I have been very, very upset, it's something I can do and not think about the problem. Unlike some other jobs, you get a feeling of having completed something at the end of it. I have four different books to deal with, and completing each one gives me a sense of satisfaction. I carry out the book-keeping quarterly and do the VAT at the same time. I am old fashioned enough not to do it on the computer.

At 4.00 p.m. I looked out and the sky was still light - bright in fact, as it sometimes is on these late autumn days. I debated whether to take a couple of letters to the post, but decided to plough on. A half an hour later and it's now completely dark.

Good news/bad news

Today has been a day devoted almost entirely to domesticity.

With the gardener expected, I spent much time in the garden collecting up the best of the Bramleys. People are in such a rush to harvest their fruit, but in fact the apples falling now are the best of the crop - very often completely undamaged by insects; ripened by the sun and as sweet as can be when cooked - no sugar needed. I have put bags of the them in the shed and though some will go bad, I hope to have a supply for some time. I am boring on this subject, I know, but they are so much better than apples bought from the shops.

Then I did my weekly shop - I managed to go at lunch time when it was quite empty. I took the precaution of having a crispbread and cheese, as it's a bad idea to go shopping when hungry. Alas, this particular crispbread, having lots of seeds in it, seems to have attacked a filling, as I felt a piece of metal in my mouth. I've booked up the dentist for next week. Fortunately, I got back in time for a dramatic scene on the Archers (dramatic enough to be listened to twice.) But once home, having unloaded my shopping and had lunch, I've hardly had time for anything else.

Yesterday afternoon, the phone rang and it was the organiser from the HE Bates short story competition. He rang to tell me I was one of the four finalists with my story A Glimpse of the Sky. (I shall put it on my website very soon.) I was delighted, though on further reflection, there's no point in getting too excited as I might be in fourth place earning myself a certificate saying Highly Commended. Jennifer is going to the award ceremony and will collect my prize/certificate. I in the meantime will be at Guys and Dolls.

That was the good news. The bad news was that M came back from the body shop to tell me that the little bump would cost £700 to fix.

The people at the garage gave us a number to ring to try and get a new door, and tonight, we 've tried that out and lo and behold four calls came through with doors on offer. One is now being sent to our garage and is a lot cheaper option than them mending my door, which some anonymous person biffed, without my knowledge.

Tonight the VAT beckons.

Autumn rain

After several very bright days, it's raining today. It doesn't change the fact that there are still wonderful views to be seen. This is not my favourite time of year - I hate the way the nights lengthen and the days shorten, but it is very beautiful.

From my window, I can see a copper beech in our neighbour's garden, still retaining its scarlet leaves and in the opposite corner of our garden is a sweet chestnut tree whose green leaves are turning golden. Below it is the dark red of a berberis and alongside that is a grey-green senecio, and a cotoneaster which is bright with red berries. It's a wonderful picture and I appreciate every day when I look out.

I've been to the post office to send off three chapters of my novel to an agent. I'm not a very organised person, but I've gradually trained myself to carry out tasks on certain days. I try to go to the PO, two miles away, only once a week, whereas when it was in our village, I used to go nearly every day. I avoid Mondays, because, on my PO trips, I buy free range eggs from the butcher's and they're not open on a Monday. I go to the bank, if necessary, on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday, as they've now closed it on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Somewhere I fit Sainsbury's into that.

The post office used to be the centre of our village; people met and talked there, but when armed men broke in, it was the last straw for the postmistress. When I have standard size letters to post, I tend to walk to the box five minutes away, and try to extend the walk if I'm feeling energetic. My manuscript had to be weighed, hence the trip to the PO.

M has now taken my car to a garage for them to look at a bump I sustained in a car park. I will apply myself now to VAT.

Sunday

We had a good day with the family yesterday. M is lucky to have two sisters and a brother. Perhaps I have an idealised view of family life. Philippa cooked a meal vast enought for another 20 people to attend and we played a game in the afternoon. A bit of a disaster when David upset a bottle of wine, which broke a figurine and the bottle itself and sprayed red wine on an armchair and all over the floor. Natasha, our niece cleaned the chair with white wine. At 7.05 we 'girls' trooped into another room and listened to The Archers.

Today I am very tired. I need to get down to the office work, but can't concentrate yet. I went to meet my ex neighbour, Maggie, at the local Sainsbury's (cafe) and we had hot chocolate and chatted for a couple of hours. Other than that not a lot has been done, but I need to get back to work tomorrow.

I thought about my talk and came to the conclusion it wasn't one of my best. I was aware that I was hesitating quite a lot, and saying 'em' in between words. Let's say I felt less sharp than I have on some occasions. Last time I talked at Sutton, I arrived late and was very tense. Once I started, everything seemed to go well. I wonder if a certain amount of tension brings about an andrenoline rush which then helps you to speak better. On this occasion, M took me, which meant we had an uneventful journey. Then he sat in the audience, which was distracting, particularly when I heard him chatting to another member of the audience. Maybe I should dispense with my written spiel and just have a few notes, so that I can ad lib throughout the whole speech. I'll think about it.

Must try to get to bed early tonight.
9.20 p.m. on Monday

Lazy day

Chatted on the phone with the kids this morning. Other than that, nothing much that I can recall.

The talk yesterday went reasonably well. M says the audience enjoyed it, as he was part of it, so perhaps he should know. No book sales, alas, but many of the audience had published their work too. Anyway I was paid for my efforts, so I have no complaint.

Tomorrow, we are going to lunch with Philippa and M's other siblings. Always enjoyable these family visits. Perhaps, as an only child, I appreciate brothers and sisters more than others. I think being an only child is often a lonely experience.

I caught up with Casualty tonight. I'd missed two weeks, but it falls quickly into place. Goodness it's 10.50 p.m. already. How quickly the day has gone.