The Gentleman Caller calls again

The huge black tom cat next door is at a nose sniffing stage with evil cat, and they are cautiously okay at the moment. He keeps trying to slink in, but he is schooled in the way of toddlers, and he flees at the first sight of little bear.

This massive animal is very graceful, extremely arrogant and outrageously opportunistic. He will call in houses, he will help himself to any tasty morsels just hanging around and uses my plant tubs as his convenience.

He is known to his 'owner' as Oscar, to me as 'Gentleman Caller', to evil cat as 'sniff, sniff, hiss' and to little bear as 'Scarface Claw, the toughest tom in town'.

And to general amazement, this huge, supremely confident, monster is taking tablets - for depression. It just goes to show!

Just popping in.

Erythromycin does not agree with me. I am thinking through grey fuzz and my stomach is being extremely unruly. I am supposed to be taking ibuprofen as well, but I can't face adding to my stomach's woes. My 'whiplash' is almost better now, so that is something.

I have, however, a brilliant idea for another bit of the writing, so as soon as my life gets a little more regulated then I hope to get some posted.

I spent £55 inc postage on clothing for little bear, through Quidco, from George. Included is 2 hoodies (which I pray he will wear), 6 pairs of jeans, 12 t-shirts, 3 pairs of shorts and three pairs of pyjamas. I believe that this will take little bear through summer, and the cashback just about covered the postage. For the upcoming holiday and his general entertainment I bought a selection of Hairy MacLary books and a pack of 42 picture books (the pack of 42 was £39.99). Little bear is very keen on books, being read to and sometimes 'reading' to himself. I think that is marvellous.

I have been knitting and the busy hand/empty mind has led to some interesting ideas for other stories. And also vacancy. And what with all the extra meds inside me and general knackedness, I have bought 4 kilos of yarn, rather randomly, which should translate to two blankets and a rather pleasant jacket at some point, hopefully.

Some doctors are BRILLIANT

I don't want to identify the dr we saw today, but Dr S is marvellous. He read the riot act to dear heart yesterday - he should have seen the dr sooner. To be fair to dear heart he did get quite bad quite quickly.

Today Dr S saw both myself and little bear. He obviously wouldn't discuss the ins and outs of dear heart's case with me, but he was marvellous with little bear, really patient.

And he gave him banana flavoured medsin. After all the screaming, hysterical struggles that we had with the last lot, Dr S patiently explained to little bear that he needed medsin to get better, and he prescribed something that would not taste so foul, and gave the prescription to little bear to look after. I just wanted to hug him. Little bear took his night time medsin like a lamb, and was just so good.

So, dear heart has proto pneumonia. Little bear has a serious cough. I have a cough that could become proto pneumonia... We should have had a family ticket with him.

Red Cross on the Door - Again!

As long as I keep taking the tablets my shoulder is improving vastly. There are still awful moments, and problems sleeping, but it could be a lot worse.

Dear heart has been to the drs voluntarily. This happens once a decade. The dr was a little cross, as dear heart should have seen him a lot earlier, and was quite poorly. Two more days, the dr said, and dear heart would have been hospitalised with pneumonia. Dear heart has, to his disgust, been ordered to stay home for at least a week.

Little bear also has the same cough as dear heart, and probably gave it to dear heart. He has an appt with the dr tomorrow.

All in all, it could be a little better. I have asked darling father to stay at home as I don't want him to be suffering from anything. But I was really looking forward to him staying.

As both the men in my life are likely to be having increased naps I intend to take advantage of that and get some more writing done.

Uneasy about the neighbours

Just in general, I am getting a little uncomfortable about the atmosphere in the street.

Her Three Doors Down (the one who has a dislocated knee after picking on someone half her size) is staying indoors. Her car is being kept elsewhere. There are abusive and racist messages scrawled on her fence. This is something to do with her playing with someone's husband (so I have been told) and the wife finding out. And the wife apparently has decided not to try and keep the moral high ground.

Now, I really do not like the woman, and some of the things she has said to me, well, if I say even half of it I would be repeating actionable slander/complicit in criminal activity/inciting a breach of the peace. Actually, that is not any exaggeration. The things she has said!!!

BUT I feel uncomfortable. All the things she is suffering from (if the gossip I have heard is true and it may not be) are things that she has brought on herself and I have witnessed her temperament which will always get her into trouble, but...

There is a lynch mob atmosphere. I am trying to be very good and stay out of the gossip which is desperately hard for me, but I don't want to say the wrong thing.

Hopefully things will get better in the sunny weather, but it uneasy at the moment.

Writing

Sorry for those who enjoy the blog but don't read the fiction...

I have just had a brilliant idea for another thread to the plotline, so it may look a bit jumpy for the next few chapters as I try and work it in.

I can't resist a bit of romance for Karen as well, but I have not yet decided who.

My and my big mouth

I was told the night before that little bear was involved in a St George's Day project at nursery. I am sure this is not the last time I am given short notice to provide appropriate clothing.

There was one problem. I have mentioned, I believe, about me foolishly telling little bear about the dragon in the hole? Have I mentioned that I have told little bear to be careful on the steps because of a dragon in the cubby hole under the steps (right next to the Nitromors - the Nanny Ogg school of parenting)?

Well, what is St George famous for? Little bear confidently told me it was princesses.

In brief

AnGem - thank you so much for your kind words. In fact, a huge thank you for all who are supporting me when I write, it means a LOT.

In fact - thank you all for the kind messages, really appreciated .

In brief

Dear heart poorly with chest infection v bad.

I have been posting on Ravelry for light relief.

772 words of Chapter Seven done

I have something wrong with my shoulder apparently whiplash but I got when I was asleep.

Little bear is showing signs of conjunctivitis, which means no nursery, even though I am in serious pain with my shoulder just moving.

Feeling v poorly.

next installment of Forgotten Village will be posted shortly

The importance of hats

The glorious weather outside is making me consider a sunhat for myself. There are two problems. The first problem is that the summer weather is far from predictable and it will probably rain all summer, again.

If it does shine then I really could do with a hat. I have thin hair, I am very fair skinned and I normally completely shun the sun, so burning is potentially a big problem.

The second problem is I am currently drawn to the sort of hats that remind me of Margo from the Good Life. I am not sure that this is a good thing. I am not like Margo. I am not even like Barbara. I think I am more like Daisy from Keeping up Appearances (but dear heart is nothing like Ounslow, he is gorgeous).

I think I shall save my money and see what June brings.

Mind playing tricks

I have a very very very very mild allergy to dust. In fact, if I have stuck sinuses I do the stairs with a hand brush to get things moving.

Today I woke up with gritty eyes, running nose, scratchy throat and a general grump. My mouth feels like it is full of gritty dust. I am considering a number of things. It could be a cold, it could be the dust from the road works. It could well be psychosomatic as no volcanic dust is reported in Yorkshire.

I am going for dust from the road works a few yards at the back of us. I am impressed by them. They have put up a new bus stop. In a spirit of impartiality until the bus stop is active they have put two carrier bags over the little metal flag at the top - one from Tesco and one from Asda. I felt like offering them a bag from Mr S to help even things up.

Thank you for the feedback

Ian - you are right, a lovely spring day among gravestones, how gothic!

Hester - I am really glad you like it. Little bear is still a complete rascal. Last night he was distraught. I think he had been dreaming and he complained that he needed a plaster on his (perfectly fine) leg. Dear heart was on night duty and was woken in the middle of the night as little bear was once again distraught as he had lost his plaster. He was looking on the wrong leg.

WitchHazel - you are absolutely right with the non-normals. I'm not sure how it would go. I thought 'non-normal' as it is relatively pleasant, compares eg vampires to normal people and Steve is a policeman, Mike and Darren are former military and they would be used to having tags for groups. But it doesn't quite go. I do appreciate any comments like that, as it is a real help. I shall give the matter some thought, but continue using the tag for now...

Chapter Six is up

I hope you like the new chapter. The plot, I hope, thickens.

I am struggling to think of names. If I am writing traditional fantasy I loot shamelessly from history books and make a note of any good typos I make. Modern day is difficult. I am terrified of using a real person's name. Especially if it is a celebrity and I didn't realise - perfectly possible, to my embarrassment.

I hope to increase the pace soon.

Chapter Five

Chapter Five is now up.

For some reason it hasn't gone to the top of the listing, like it has before, but the link should still work.

http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2792473/1/The_Forgotten_Village

I hope you like it. I tried to skip yet more description and go for some action. Raymond Chandler said that whenever he was stuck he had a man come through the door with a gun, and took it from there.

Hester - thank you so much, I am glad that it flows. My aim is to tell a story and people get caught up in the story, not the writing. You make it sound like it is working. I really appreciate that

Everyone - actually, I really really really appreciate all the support I am getting with the writing, especially from dear heart.

Now I am off to start the next chapter.

Don't get me started

I need to have a sit down.

I have just found an advert for knitting yarn made from 100% sugar cane.

Sugar cane...

And it was over £10 for 100g.

And the wood pulp one described as suitable for vegans. That wasn't quite so dear, but really...

And breathe.

Just so you know...

with the writing I actually do some research, believe it or not. And the mickey finn that saw off poor Miriam Bell, that is indeed Chloral Hydrate, according to wikipedia it is made from ethanol and chlorine.

Both are available inexpensively from ebay. This is somewhat unnerving.

Fortunately I am not looking at how to produce chloral hydrate. I hope there would be restrictions on that.

Thank you

I just want to say thank you for the support you have given my writing. I really appreciate it and I am going to try and fit in a sneaky half hour tonight.

On the Fiction Press, I can find out the origin of some of the visitors to the work. Most are from the UK, but there are isolated readers in Finland, Germany and the USA. I feel that I REALLY have to keep up to a good standard.

btw I am nothing like Karen. It is much more interesting to write about someone different from me.

Jacks Mummy - thank you. It seems little bear isn't that bad. It is just that I am appalled. I would have quite honestly been too scared to behave as he does.

Marybelle - Thank you for the support.

Silversewer - the first time dear heart saw me do a proper prune of the buddleia he was concerned. He has now accepted that if it survives my gardening it is unkillable. I have some extreme weedkiller lined up for the Russian vine on the other side of the garden, some extremely butch honeysuckle starting to sprout (the weather, I think, did for the jasmine) and I think nothing short of napalm will see off the budleia. It is about ten years old and has a trunk. It is next to a self seeded flowering almond. This self seeded flowering almond is now at least two stories high. I am looking forward to the blossom. My gardening is a bit random.

Timber!!!!!

Dear heart has attacked the buddlia. I haven't spelled the name of the bush right - it's also known as the butterfly bush. It wasn't really pruned back properly last year...

We now have this huge heap of vegetation in front of the house. I am hoping my tiny leaved yellow rose survives the heap of branches on it. For those unaware of buddliea, they are monsters. We have easily chopped off ten foot from the 'bush' and I am confident that it will be the same height again by next Halloween. Rather more sadly dear heart had to cut down the beautiful rose that grows up in the middle as without the shelter of the buddlia, the weight of the branches would pull it down. It was easily reaching the height of the second floor window, possibly fifteen feet.

It is lovely in summer, the buddlia has dark purple spike flowers, which smell delicious. The rose has a flower of a shade half way between peach and scarlet. They mingle and look and smell gorgeous.

I hope that the skip promised does come tomorrow - you would not believe what piles and piles of buddlia branches look like, and I want to prune back the hydrangea as well.

Little bear helped - by going next door and playing with their puppy!

More Writing

For those who would like it, the link again

http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2792473/1/The_Forgotten_Village

Chapter Four is now up. I am keeping it to around 2,000 words per chunk (or trying to lol)

The next bit may be a few days coming along as I have to do a lot of housework over the next few days.

I have broken a front tooth. I feel awful, sick and embarassed. That will teach me to mess with dangerous stuff like chewing gum.

I have written 846 words to console myself. They are not ready to be put up yet, but will soon.

A Migraine has interrupted writing and my Nice Lady neighbour went to collect little bear from nursery yesterday.

He had been snatching toys. So he went to the time out. But he wouldn't stop giggling. He was ten minutes in the baby room before he caved.

Upon the recommendation of the specialist I have purchased 'Toddler Taming' and plan to read in depth now that sight is returning.

On another note, little bear's Ratatouille got left at nursery. Little bear is inconsolable every time he remembers, which is quite frequently, even though he normally only likes it to be in the same room as him.

Chapter Three now up

I hope you like Chapter Three. Hopefully the plot will start to move along soon.

http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2792473/1/The_Forgotten_Village

This takes you to the first chapter and then you can scroll all the way down to the bit that says, chapters on the right hand side.

Thank you for your support.

Need to think with more care

I've just thought of an additional plotline for The Forgotten Village...

Darn, it may end up longer than I thought it might.

(having a lot of fun writing it! Thank you for all your support.)

Little bear is direct

Little bear was making valiant attempts at saying hippopotamus, to the amusement of dear heart. Eventually little bear got tired.

'What's that?' asked dear heart again, trying to find the next way little bear would attempt hippopotamus.

'Rhino' said little bear firmly.

Some day, some poor soul is going to have to try and teach him.

Just so you know...

Her Three Doors Down got into a fight with the nice lady next door but one. You can probably guess where my sympathies lie, but as I didn't actually see anything and it all seemed to have erupted over something one child said to another, I'm trying to use non judgemental language.

Anyway, Her Three Doors down is in hospital with a suspected broken kneecap, and I missed it because I was trying to write and it wasn't up to my normal standard anyway.

Darn.

986 words in, and a police car just went past. Our road is not on the way to anywhere, so I dare say it was to do with the massive screaming fit from Her Three Doors Down.

How am I supposed to concentrate?

Depreciation

We have one good piece of furniture. There is, of course, a long story attached to it. We bought it from a former neighbour, nearly twenty years ago. I wanted it as it had lovely deep drawers, but was somewhat put off by the crimson paint and orange formica, we paid around £10. We also bought a wardrobe that nearly killed dear heart, but that is entirely a different story...

Well, after further complications and irrelevancies, we got the thing stripped and it turned out to be an original Victorian pine chest of drawers with original handles and original feet. It is a lovely piece, with lovely deep drawers. I have always been scared to do anything to it, like polish it with wax or varnish, so it has stayed lovely and clean...

Until little bear drew all over it in red felt tip at the weekend.

The Forgotten Village Chapter Two

This is now up, written tonight, hot off the press. It is a much more manageable 2180 words.

I still need to do a little more scene setting but I can soon get the pace a little quicker.

Thank you for all the support - you would not believe how much it helps.

Edited to add - if you go to the first link, then scroll allllll the way down to the bottom, there is a well hidden 2nd chapter thingy to click on. Thank you for all your support.

Artistic Little Bear

Little bear, confident that he was not being disturbed and refusing to nap, drew on the walls in his bedroom in red felt tip.

He proudly showed them off to dear heart, who tried to explain that it wasn't a good thing but a naughty thing. Little bear was devastated. He tried to lick the felt tip off the wall.

It's the thought that counts.

Thank you

Thank you for all the kind feedback you have left. You cannot imagine how much it means to me, especially as it was such a large chunk to get through.

In future the chunks should be a little more digestible. I will (I hope) be putting the work up in chunks of 1-2,000 words at a time. (average novel @ 100,000 words, or so I believe, so this is likely to be quite a slim volume.)

I have two more characters that need at least a brief introduction, then I can bring up the pace on the plot.

Thank you again for feeding back - it means such a lot!

The Forgotten Village

The first part of my writing...

http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2792473/1/The_Forgotten_Village

Please have a look. Now that it is in the open I feel it is important to keep adding to it, and I will let you know when some more is added.

I hope those who are interested like it.

Easter Parade

Little bear went in to nursery with his hat, and he looked adorable (of course) but I wasn't able to get a photo - my phone ran out of charge at the vital moment.

All the children got a prize of an Easter Egg. Certificates for the two best (one for each partaking class) were given and alas little bear did not get one. One was amazing, with white sort of foamy material fashioned a bit like a helmet, covering the hair, with ears and eyes, and bits stuck on. I thought that really deserved the certificate.

The other one, well, it starts early. I did chuckle. I have quite a good visual memory (though not for faces, embarrassingly) and the other certificate winner had a hat that looked exactly the same as one of the 'home-made guaranteed to win' hats I saw for sale on ebay, @ £14.99.

It could, however, be a good copy. I will say that I recognised a lot of the components from ebay in other parents' creations so I suspect I may not be the only one who thinks a ringer was obtained, but I am saying nothing. I am chuckling however.

Little bear is fine - apparently

We saw the nice doctor today, the specialist, who said that little bear was developing fine, the tantrums were normal (oh no!) and that she was really happy with his development.

Getting little bear to the doctors was a nightmare, as getting him ready for anything is fraught with tension as he WILL NOT hurry himself and does all he can to postpone actually getting out the door. He has missed scones at the Methodist before now.

Then he didn't want to go into the dr's room as he wanted to play with the toys in the reception area. Then he didn't want to leave the dr's room as he wanted to play with the toys there. Then he didn't want to leave the reception area as he wanted to play with the toys...

I've never been so glad to get home in my life. I am about to start the interesting challenge of getting him to nursery, when he doesn't want to go.