I promised myself....

.... that I'd put myself on a cash-fast this month i.e. no more impulse buying of books to be added to the TBR pile, I'd bring my lunch into work instead of buying over-priced sandwiches, I'd eat all the food in the freeezer before I went out & did another shop.
And my big reward at the end of all of this frugality would be a lovely new laptop, to replace the one which spluttered to a halt about six months ago.

I've been good, very very good. Eating up all the odds and ends has resulted in some very unconventional (by which I barely edible) meals, and my postman no longer has a hernia from delivering many a weighty tome to me.

I ummed and aaahhed about the laptop, to be honest ~ do I really need it, or do I just want it? (my matra of the last few weeks). I decided I really did need it ~ I am filling up notebooks at a healthy pace, and I need to start typing up before it becomes unmanageable.

And then last night I was offered a FREE LAPTOP by my unbelieveably kind brother!

Which means, of course, that I have fallen off the save-a-holic wagon in a BIG way, and just filled my Amazon basket with many many goodies. Sorry, Mr Postie.......

Early bird

Having been shamed by the fact that I have slacked off a mere three days into my new running schedule (and Jen's 7am running!) I forced myself out of bed super early today, breakfasted on chocolate and Berrocca, and headed out for a pre-work run.

I am not, and fear I never will be, a morning person. It didn't go well....


On the plus side I've downloaded 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' onto my MP3 player ~ so i may not be a bouncing morning workout babe, but at least I got meself a bit of culture en route.

Don't you just hate it when.....

.....you dream a great solution to something that's been niggling you. You know you did, and the dream is crystal clear in every element EXCEPT the blooming thing you wanted the solution to?

I've been trying to do some automatic writing, to blow away a few of the cobwebs. My writing seems a little turgid, recently, and I thought a few blasts at an unself-cosncious writing style might help. Problem is, I can't seem to shut up the nit-picking voice that stalls me and tries to correct what I'm writing every ten seconds.

And then last night I cracked it ~ in a dream. I wrote reams and reams of dazzling stuff, and all because I'd found a way to slip straight into the 'zone'.

I woke up, thrilled ~ until I discovered that the most crucial bit of the dream ~ the 'how to' ~ was missing from my brain.

Anyone got any tips for successful automatic writing?

Gulp!

I've just submitted ~ for the first time EVER ~ a piece to Mslexia. Under my real name.

I feel a bit sick, actually. But also rather proud of my bravery. Have utterly no belief that it will make it in, but I'm getting back on the submission horsey and starting to send stuff off, as I feel like I've done naff all in writing terms recently. Thats not strictly true, but I've been nowhere near focussed of late, and I need to get back into it.

It's been chaotic, the last few weeks.

The play wot I was in is done and dusted ~ thank Christ. Not a happy experience, overall, for lots & lots of reasons. Audiences loved it, mind you, but the rehearsal process was the most aggravating I've ever endured. I'll blog about it in more details when I've got a bit more perspective on that!


In other news, I've embarked upon a course of acupuncture, for stress relief, primarily, and I may well be addicted.

And I've started counselling, with regard to the miscarriage, as things were
getting harder, not easier, as time went on, and that ain't helping anyone or anything.

I've realised that I don't blog ~ or write ~ enough because I feel like I should have loads to say in order to make it worthwhile. And then I never get round to it.

So from now on snippets are the way forward for me.

Bite by bite.....