NaNo Diaries: Day Twelve

Starlights daughter, Tigsy having a nap

Morning Pages Wake Up Call: 6.35am
Word Count: 2649 (Total - 23,796)
Treats: Watching The Lost Kingdom on TV
Other Activity: Sweeping up leaves - a sign it's Autumn
Word of the Day: MAGNANIMOUS - adjective 1. proceeding from or revealing generosity or nobility of mind, character, etc.: a magnanimous gesture of forgiveness. 2. high-minded; noble: a just and magnanimous ruler.






It's unseasonably warm here in Italy for this time of year. Everyone is raving about the beautiful warm days but... it always comes with a price I think. I'd much prefer it to be bright but seasonally cold. Call me a spoilsport but I love the different seasons, each for a different reason and for Autumn its about hibernation. Getting out all my woollies, lighting the fire and closing the shutters ready for Winter. Lovely. But all this warmth is bringing different problems. Red mite. No it's not some weird version of flu but a tiny little devil that attacks our poor chickens. The little critters should be banished now if there were lower temperatures. But no.Instead they're basking in the sun. We've found several in the hen house over the past few weeks and they can kill. So we're disinfecting the coop every couple of days, and dusting the house and chucks. Nearly got them all but they're a pest.
And one of the cats hasn't been seen since Monday. Starlight is a semi feral cat who gets fed with our brood. Not sure where she is or where to look. Fingers crossed she's being fed somewhere else for a while.

An I've got a writing buddy, which I'm very excited about. I've  just finished the Writember workshop with Faye Kirwin, which has helped enormously with my motivation. I thoroughly recommend it if you find you are struggling. To others I might seem as though I have all the time in the world (which I don't, just more than some) but even so habit and structure is so important. Since leaving the world of  'real work' (I have a different take on that now, maybe for another post) this is the first time it's hit home. So I have a target, I've identified my best times to write and I've made a commitment. Now with my buddy, I'm accountable to someone in making sure I get it done!