Today I had plans. I was going to leap out of bed at an early hour, have some quick breakfast and then get on with one of the three writing projects I’ve got on the go at the moment. Well, we all know what sometimes happens to the best-laid plans, don’t we?
It’s almost noon. I have had a leisurely breakfast, caught the last part of Wanted Down Under and most of Homes Under the Hammer, answered a couple of e-mails, ordered a CD for the Daughter, spent half an hour – at least! – on Facebook, arranged lunch for a girlfriend’s birthday next week, opened the fridge door five times to see if there’s anything appealing in there that wasn’t in there five minutes earlier when I last opened it and am now writing this blogpost. Oh, dear!
I haven’t got writer’s block because in my head I have the next step of all three projects written. It’s more of being unsettled. I’ve had some unsettling news from Antigua – won’t bore you with the details but it’s to do with my disgusting, now ex- tenant. But it’s all under control. So I must pull myself together and get on.
Am writing this with the radio on in the background giving the news of the massacre in Paris. Masked attackers shoot dead workers at a satirical magazine which carried a cartoon about Islam. If only these madmen spent their anger on denouncing and fighting what other people are doing in the name of their religion instead of murdering people over something they probably haven’t even seen or read then the rest of the world might actually start believing this myth that Islam is a religion of peace.
But moving swiftly on…. I’ve had a couple of top meetings since my last blog. Lunch with M was the riot it always is and he was bursting with pride as his sister was made a Dame in the New Year’s Honour’s List, for services to education. It’s very well-deserved and I send my congratulations to Dame Kate Dethridge! Yesterday I had a scrummy, catch-up lunch with the Daughter, who I hadn’t seen since last year! Always wonderful to spend time with her, and then went into Central London to meet my old friend V, whose daughter and two grand-daughters are visiting UK from Australia where V’s daughter – also V! – is a consultant paediatrician. The last time I saw V Daughter was in Sydney December 2002, when she was pregnant with the older girl. It was so lovely to see them; seeing V is always great, she’s such a lovely friend; seeing V Daughter again was so, so nice and meeting the two lovely young women that are Miss E and Miss J was fab.
Broadchurch didn’t disappoint! I was OMGing just minutes into it! I feel we are going to be on a real roller-coaster ride for the next seven weeks! Bring it on!
And now – the pep-talk to self: ‘Spires, get your arse in gear and get on with your work!’
