My typing speed is becoming important

In the giddyness of actually getting some pennies in royalties I took a quick overview of what I wanted to write.

I have decent, fleshed out plot lines for twelve novels.  That is twelve actual, full length novels and in each of these cases I have a good idea of the beginning, middle and end (though in my experience that is subject to change.  Plus at least half a dozen other ideas. 

I need to type quicker.  Also more often!

Nervous curtain twitching

The kids from two doors down have ripped some branches from the budliea. 

Now I could do a full hissy fit about how dare they, what do they think they are doing, don't they care that things cost money, you try and keep things nice...  However what I am really worried about is their safety.  It has been preying on my mind all day. 

Budliea branches snap, or at least ours does, and they snap really easily.  So when a five year old or eight year old are standing on a wall hanging off the branches, there is a good chance the branch would go and the kids fall with a bang.  The budliea is grown against a concrete wall.  There is a tarmac path on one side with a solid kerb and an unmade road full of stones on one side and a longer drop onto flags and kerb stones on another.  Either side is a reasonable drop.  The best outcome is bruises.  Given the way the kerbs are arranged, it could be really bad. 

I am getting rid of one rose as the thorns are vicious and I can't stop the kids climbing on the wall next to it.  But I can't change the concrete or the kerbs.  Even if we get rid of the budliea, they will still climb on the walls.  One is the same age as little bear. 

I must be the only mum in the country praying for rain so that they don't go out but stay a little safer. 

School holidays

Little bear is being little bear.  This means that I should be ever vigilant and I feel too poorly.  Also he ambushes me. 

This morning as I was desperately trying to get 'five more minutes' he decided he needed my full attention to put on a video.  I am struggling so much to sleep with this cold, and I have found that the best sleep I can get is after 6am - that is when I get the most healing sleep.  Today I got to sleep in until 7am.  And little bear presented me with a video and in my fuzzy state I just put it on...

Only when I had surfaced a little more did I realise that little bear had been down the side of the tv where he has explicitly been forbidden from going.  OH had told him directly that he was forbidden from going there.  I have just now repeated that he is forbidden from going there, dragged out the crate of videos to remove temptation and now feel a bit fed up. 

I think I will try and get him out of the house.  This may mean dynamite.  Still, at least we will be doing something.  At the moment little bear is very keen on the healthy eating, so it may mean a trip to the market to get some fruit and veg. 

Little bear is currently annoying darling father.  I am letting him.  How many days until school?  I have just worked it out - seventeen more days.  It is stretching out like a dessert.

Writing rewards

First, before I say anything else, thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone that has bought 'The Forgotten Village'.  I really am grateful that you thought my work was worth purchasing.  It is hugely flattering and a real boost.

And I would have known about my royalties being paid about ten days ago if I hadn't set my email account up for all stuff from Amazon to go into a folder called 'not quite junk' which was for the 'we have dispatched your order....' type emails.  I was only having a rummage to declutter the junk.  My deleted folder is stuffed!

I haven't made enough to buy champagne, but we have some in that we have been failing to drink for some time, so I will probably have a glass tonight, or perhaps tomorrow when I am off the anti histamines.  And I will now go and dip into my friend ebay and buy a Willow Tree ornament to celebrate my first royalties. And 10% will go to some charity.  That is something I really believe in.   

Thank you again for all the support and encouragement on here - it is beyond price.

What a way to wake up!

I was trying to get little bear into the school holiday club as a break for him - hopefully to see his friends and enjoy himself.  Mind you, everyone is a friend to little bear, he really charmed the gas fitter yesterday.

This week I could only get him into the club on Friday.  I was a bit disappointed as on one hand I wanted him to have fun and on the other hand the minor cold I am suffering from is making me very miserable.  I tried to contact by email, and they confirmed by email that there were no spaces.

This morning, head pounding and joints aching, I sort of surfaced when little bear came downstairs to announce he had dressed himself.  I managed to cheerfully praise him.  Dragged myself into some clothes, made little bear something to eat, and sort of slumped in front of the bbc website, trying to wake up. 

Then I had a phone call.  Why isn't little bear at the van ready for the out of school club?  What?  I grabbed a coat for little bear and belted out of the house with him, still wearing my slippers.  Little bear was dressed but had a mucky face and hadn't brushed his teeth.  Sigh. 

I went back and checked the email.  They definitely said he wasn't attending.  I didn't hallucinate it.  I am quite relieved about that, as I am not very sure about my sanity and any evidence of it is really welcome. 

So little bear is off.  I am going to make the most of this and relax. 

Little bear has a busy night

Last night was not one of the best night's sleep I have ever had.  Little bear was a really good sleeper as a baby, but he is making up for it now. 

I had a bit of a rumbly tummy last night, so around 12.30am I was up to the bathroom again and checked in on little bear on my way back.  He wasn't there.  The bit of bed with pillow and duvet was empty of little bear, and his ratatouille was missing as well.  I started to panic.  He hadn't sneaked downstairs to sleep on the sofa, he hadn't gone upstairs, I was getting frantic.  Actually little bear had crawled under the pile of soft toys at the foot of the bed and gone to sleep there, but he just wasn't visible. 

Then 4am little bear had a nightmare, something to do with Daleks pretending to be Weeping Angels. So he ended up on the sofa after all.  Then he was up and out of the house, because it was school holiday club, and he really wanted to go. 

I am now a bit sleepy.  However I told the doctor at my appointment about self publishing (I am telling everyone) and she wrote the name and title down, so I think I had better get on and write the sequel, just in case.  That should keep me out of mischief today.

Mysterious Puddles

This morning there strange puddles in the kitchen.  One was near the sink, but not next to it, the other was against the cupboards near the back wall. 

They didn't smell, so evil cat was not in the frame, and they weren't there last night when I was the last one in the kitchen.  So they are officially mysterious.  I am going to have to clear under the kitchen table, clear out the cupboards and see where any traces of damp may linger.

I really do not need this.  We have had problem after problem with damp in the kitchen and I have no idea where to start.  And little bear is sure to 'help' me while I am doing all the investigations. 

If it is the spirit of the poached slug sending dampness, I am not happy!  Mind you, I don't suppose the poached slug was happy either.