A Memory: in the bag

Guadeloupe

A Memory: In spirals

Guadeloupe

A Memory: other people's rubbish

Guadeloupe

A Memory: Black and White

cemetery, Guadeloupe

A Memory: same but different

Le Moule, Guadeloupe

A Memory: girl on film

Film by Tacita Dean at the Tate Modern

A Memory: reflection

Film by Tacita Dean at the Tate Modern

A Memory: Sci-Fi

near Southwark underground

A Memory: Olive

Languedoc, France

A Memory: Gold

Notre-Dame de la Garde, Marseille

A Memory: anchored

Marseille

A Memory: Seagulls

Marseille, Jardin du Pharo

A Memory: Cranes

Marseille, La Cathèdrale de la Major

A Memory: Sailing

Marseille, Vieux Port

A Memory: Pirates

Marseille, Vieux Port

A Memory: Goosey Goosey Gander

Siena, Italy

A Memory:Grace

Siena, Italy

A Memory: Illumination

Siena. Italy

PS Happy Birthday big brother

It's not time for the holidays yet

One of the things I never appreciated about France until bagging a Frog was the importance of holidays. At work the february school break is called Ski break. Now as one who has never skied, I can drop a whole load of reasons why I don't want to try (and regularly do to my sister in law as February swings round), but this major clue about where holidays lay in the French psyche still didn't get through to mine. The summer holidays are called 'Les grands vacances' another big clue, and I'm sure I've written here about how Paris clears out during the summer. And Boulogne Billancourt as Paris' 21st arrondissement is no exception. If anything, last year our residence was like a ghost building as we rattled around here post move. So why am I mentioning it now? Because in order for the big clear out to take place, the French spend January scouring the internet looking for somewhere to stay. And frankly all those holiday villas, houses, apartments are  starting to blend into one and I can't look at another 'annonce' right now. 

So, here I am turning my mind to my writing resolutions 2012. Thankfully, what with it being January and all (just about) EVEYRONE has already posted theirs, so I've pilfered the useful ones!

1. This one isn't directly a writing one. Someone wrote about mind and body and I'm certainly happier when there's a little physical activity  going on in my life. NO! *blushes* I meant exercise, sheesh. So I'm going to swim once a week. I was aiming for 1k, but my sports coaches have pointed out that first I need to stop pushing off the sides of the pool! 
2. I will write a synopsis (Thank you writing gods. Nicola Morgane's Write a Great Synopsis came out YESTERDAY). 

1. I will write a query letter (I think that's Nicola's next book!)
2. I will knock the revision of current WIP on the head. 
3. I will send off some pages to the editors/agents from the December conference I attended. 
4. I will write the first draft of the thing that I started in November. 
5. Crit group is a must (especially since we've shifted to evenings and there's a bottle of wine involved). 
6. Maybe attend one SCBWI thingie. 
7. Keep an eye out on the Chicken House website and see if they're running that MS comp again this year. (Part one of that plan is now in place in that I follow them on Twitter). 
8. Keep the social networking manageable -No Tweetdeck, cull regularly. 

And lastly I will take the balloons down. Party time is over, it's time to get to work. 

A wandering I will go...

Yesterday one of the kids said to me: "I know why Wonderland is called Wonderland."

"Oh really," I replied. "Tell me why."

"Because there is lots of wandering in it."

"Did you say wondering or wandering?"

"Wandering. The characters wander about a lot."

"I wonder if they wonder too?" I asked.

So this little intro is to offer my readers a bonafide reason for not blogging for the next two weeks. I'm going to India. To me India is a bit like Wonderland, I may meet a blue Elephant or a tiger or a Maharaja or a beautiful bescarfed princess and then again I may not. I guess I've been reading too much magic realism related to India and now I will be confronted with nothing but realism and I am hoping it will be magical.

I fly out at 00.30, which confuses me because officially that is early Saturday morning, but I will be leaving my home on Friday evening and will spend 7 hours in transit at a Moscow airport! I have a crappy book that claims that 'if you loved the Da Vinci code dive into this'. I did not love the Da Vinci code, I made a mental note of every single bit of writing that pulled me out of the plot and made me question whether Dan Brown had ever actually been to Paris. Despite all this, I couldn't put the bloody book down, so I am hoping that The Rule of Four will have the same effect: disengage brain and read on.

Other holiday reads are: Kiran Desai - An inheritance of Loss and Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (that one was recommended by Claire, but I am a bit dubious about it, we'll see).

The camera is packed - actually I better check that is charged, but no worries if it isn't there is plenty of time to do that.

And my early christmas pressie to myself is also charged. I finally decided that the old poddy with the average battery life of 30 minutes had to go and I replaced it with a new Nano model! He He.

Oh and before I forget I have been awarded a roar from Kimy over at Mouse Medicine. I feel kind of unworthy because I have really neglected the old blog recently; there's the WIP, which has taken lots of time, but there's also some other stuff going on, good stuff, I assure you it's all good at the moment. I'm not going to pass on the roar just yet as I want to think carefully and be as thoughtful as Kimy when I pass it on, so that's a future post to do...

Other future posts will include piccies and roving reports.

OK, I think I'm leaving the blog in order, all I have left to do is to wish you all a very happy Winter Solstice. Remember that after the 21st the days are getting longer and longer (if you live in the same hemisphere as me. If not I guess it's the opposite). Have a Merry Christmas if you celebrate that and basically rest up guys and I wish you all the best in 2008, I hope next year is a good and peaceful one for all.