goodbye winter (we might miss you!)

Today's the last day of winter down here in Oz (I never quite know about season changes Up Top in the Northern Hemisphere. I keep meaning to google it but never quite get round to it) so we're doing 'goodbye to winter' things - a big open fire with pine cones cracking, mulled wine (thanks to Jenni for the recipe, it's perfect!), wee ones cuddled up and watching the flames while we listen to the rain pattering on the roof.

But as much as we've enjoyed some aspects of winter, my heart lifts at the forebringers of spring: the trees white with blossom, the first jonquils and daffodils, the increasing number of blue-sky-days. 

We made a last minute dash to one of the playgrounds today and the first of today's rain started - a gentle spring-like shower, bringing with it a double rainbow. It seemed somehow fitting - new starts and beginnings and promises of sunny days. 

The wonder on my little one's faces as they saw the rainbows across the lake made my Beloved and I grin and go 'aww.' 

Goodbye winter, welcome spring!

                                        It's a rainbow! 

1

 The rainbow on the way home from the playground. Faded a bit and not as spectacular... but very pretty!

                  

Gazillionth Draft

So I'm up to my gaxillionth draft of Dragons' Nests.
In honour of reaching my gazillionth draft I demanded my Beloved resurrect the printer. It was thus duly lugged in from the back shed. (Yep, that  one, the one my Sprocket locked my Beloved and my Poppet in) The printer has been in a box since we left Vanuatu as I thought it was broken, and my Beloved thought it was fine but somehow never got around to sorting it out.
We were both right.
The printer was fine.

The cord that connects it to the computer was not so fine. Rats had obviously been busy and it was in pieces. *
Luckily, my beloved got out the soldering gun and the above was the happy result. Nifty, huh? I was impressed. This is one of the many reasons my Beloved is my Beloved. So the printer was connected to the computer with strict instructions not to so much breathe or the sky would fall in and the printer would die.
And what do you know, it printed! I now have a hardback copy of my manuscript. You know, of actual ink and paper.
Editing an ink and paper version is curiously different to editing on the computer. I seem to be picking things up a lot quicker. And the whole 'pen-in-hand' seems to make me a lot more ruthless.
Possibly not as ruthless as the Poppet, however.

But I'm liking it. I'm a little bit perplexed that there's still so much to fix. I was sure I'd gone over the first page at least a hundred million times, and yet there was still stuff I was correcting.

How about you, can you edit on the computer, or do you prefer a hardcopy? Or a mix?


*This was sort of ironic as when we were first going out and living in the Solomon Islands I gave my Beloved a puppy who might, or might not, have had a chewing problem. Anyway, all my Beloved's computer cables were destroyed. I blamed rats. Not such a long shot as rats did, occasionally, eat our hair at night. This time my Beloved actually believes me. It really was rats. 

Which Superhero Would you Most Like to Be?

Did you ever think being Batman would be a blast? Maybe Wonder Woman's outfit would do wonders for your social life?
I haven't yet found a Superhero I want to swap places with. Library Girl with superhuman research skills has yet to make an appearance on the big screen. (Giles? Hmm. But where's the lycra?)
My Sprocket (AKA Spider Boy), on the other hand, has it sorted.

               Oh look, here's a door frame. Why don't I just climb that? *

                                                     Note impressive toe work

                Reaching the top of the door frame and wondering where to go next...

So I knew that, as parents, my Beloved and I could expect to find ourselves climbing the walls a few times. But I thought it was figurative. I did not imagine anyone in our household actually doing it.
This is why nothing in our house is safe.**

So anyway, he's three, folks. Is this normal?



*In general, we have a strict(ish) no climbing in the house policy. If you climb inside you are promptly shunted outside to find a tree like the little monkey you are. But in this case I was so perplexed I just went to find the camera.
**But let me consider the possibilities of a reasonably lucrative career as a cat-burglar for my Sprocket. The possibility of extended jail time is high - but at least there'd be no HECS debt nor extended study period. Pondering, pondering.

Working, Working, Oh So Close!

I'm so so so close to finishing my last manuscript I can almost taste it.
Yeah, yeah, I know I said it was finished a couple of months ago, but that was the first (ultra holey) draft. This is the second draft, sans the worst of the holes!
Only one more big hole to go, and despite having yet another luergy I'm thinking of loading up on coffee tonight and finishing it. Yay.
And it's all thanks to the kid's wonderful, amazing, blissful childcare. Living a couple of hundred miles from friends and family they're pretty much the whole shebang rolled into one and tied with a nice big bow. And believe me, if this book does eventually get published I'll be dedicating it to them. Well, and the kids and my Beloved. But basically the wonderful women who keep my kids happy so I can spend a few hours each week with the stories jiving and tapping and tangoing away in my head.
Yesterday morning the kids' childcare phoned to say there'd been a cancellation and there was room for the kids, and I leapt on it with tears of gratitude. **
After depositing the kids, I hurried home and set up office.

Our fruit trees are finally coming into blossom...

There was a wonderful blue sky...

So I set up my office in the garden, grabbing the most transportable table and chair

and a cup of tea in my very favouritest cup (much thanks Leongatha Thrift-Shop)

And set to writing an entirely delightful chapter of pixie, dragon, faun & other fantastical creature revels on a tiny speck of a tropical island.
It was truly grand...
And only the big scene with the Council in the Great Library of Scheherezade to go and all the major holes have been darned. Or plugged. Or whatever.
So close... so close!


*My Sprocket's teacher was telling me yesterday that my Sprocket came up to her and said "I love you Jo-Jo," and she said. "I love you, too, Sprocket," and he said "I know." Awww.
He hasn't seen Return of the Jedi yet, I promise!

** The day before had started with the kids covering themselves and the walls with my very last lipstick, and got worse from there. Let's just say it involved lots of potty-training mis-adventures and meltdowns from all parties. When I phoned begging for some time and they told me there was no room, I dripped into a murky puddle of misery. But joy cometh in the morning! 

Frumpy?

                                                              My first Docs                                      


What do you think? Frumpy, funky or fail? 
I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror recently as I was running out the door to work and realised I looked like a caricature. 
And you know, a caricature of a librarian can be pretty bad. I looked exactly like the little doll of the librarian with the finger raised - if you press a button she shushes you. 
Bun? Tick. 
Mid-calf, unflattering skirt? (Actually a black cocktail dress, the first thing I grabbed in a hurry, but with a cardy on top it's just an ugly-length, black skirt)  Tick. 
Oversized, baggy cardigan? Tick. 
Thick, wool tights? Tick. 
Pumps, with buckle? Tick.  
Of course a fondness for tweed and cashmere (you can see my heart is in the highlands) can do that to you. Even if you're not a librarian. Combine the two and you have a female Giles. But without the redeeming interest of living on a hell mouth. 
But... 
Considering the rest of the time finds me in another caricature - busy mummy - worn sneakers (or, um. Uggs,) jeans or trackies, pony-tail, harried expression... 
I got worried. 
Time for a makeover? 
Summer will help... but in the mean-time... these boots arrived to cheer me up.* I was sort of hoping for a little bit redder. And my next boots will definitely have killer heels. But killer heels and toddlers don't really go. 
But do you think these can lift me out of the funk? At least till Spring arrives? 


*They are my very first Docs. My Beloved wore out 3 pairs of shoes on ward rounds and we found a pair of Docs online  that come with a lifetime guarantee. While we were on the site I saw red boots and went ooooh. My last pair of boots just died. Really died. With holes. Red... Now we are wondering if they have a lifetime guarantee because they are too uncomfortable to wear. We are both hobbling on. My beloved tells me in three weeks they will be perfect. At least they should be all worn in for our Big Trip... in two years. 

P.S I did some reading and discovered that the first people to discover Docs were German housewives after WW11. Um... Possibly not what I was looking for to escape the housewife feeling. But very practical... sensible... longlasting...