NaNo Diaries: Peace For Paris

Peace for Paris

What else is there to day on a day like today. Words fail me. 

NaNo Diaries: Day Thirteen

Evil Eye Tree in Turkey said to ward off harm

Morning Pages Wake Up Call: 6.17am
Word Count: 2454 (Total - 26,250)
Treats: Simon making risotto for lunch, Chestnut and Mushroom
Other Activity: Not a lot, feeling a tad under the weather.
Word of the Day: SAPORIFIC adjective 1. producing or imparting flavour or taste.




Friday the thirteenth. Good job I'm not superstitious and that tree looks scary! My maternal grandmother, Hettie was terribly superstitious. She would allow us to open umbrellas in the house, nor walk on cracks in pavements and even prevented my mother from getting married in May (Marry in May, rue the day). As my parents celebrated fifty years of marriage, maybe she was right. We have lots of black cats here in out feral cat community and the Italians are very wary of them, instead of bringing luck they signify evil. 

Anyway, despite a bit of a stop start to my writing session this morning - where poor Simon got a bit of a roasting for asking me where the sellotape was - I managed to pen a good word count. The trouble is when your concentration is pierced by the slightest thing when your're in mid flow, you can never recover that moment. Still I went on to write and enjoyed the session so maybe not so bad after all. My poor husband will be so glad when November is over... He's a star.

Ciao for Now

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!

NaNo Diaries: Day Eleven

In Memory of Harry John Lamb 

Morning Pages Wake Up Call: 6.31am
Word Count: 1706 (Total - 21,147)
Treats: An Apple Strudel with a cappuccino
Exercise: Dog walking - it's enough to just watch Naughty Nell!
Word of the Day: LOGOPHILE noun 1. a lover of words. (very appropriate)








I always think of my grandfather, or Pops as he was fondly know, on this day. He fought in the First World War and was awarded for bravery. He was only nineteen at the time so goodness knows what he felt at the time. The strange thing is he never spoke about it to my Dad and he only found out he had a bravery award when his brother died in my Dad's eightieth year. How difficult it must be for all those serving in the armed services in years gone by as well in our time. How brave they are and how lucky we are to have them protecting us and our families.

I've discovered I am a creature of habit. Aren't we all? Just a little bit?  I'm on day 52 of my morning pages and still find plenty to write about and into the eleventh day of NaNo and haven't (yet) fallen off the track. I've been trying to write my target first thing in the morning. Before anything else gets in the way. I've been scribbling ideas for ten minutes (using the random prompt selected by Simon the night before) and then had two 25 minute sessions where I've written on average around 2500 words. The emphasis is on words and not a polished story by any means. But today I couldn't do that and so started my writing at half past three this afternoon. It was a bit of slog, despite feeling energised by a walk with the dogs, and a dip in my word count too. Never mind, life is like that, veering off here and there. Writing is also about flexibility!

Ciao for Now

NaNo Diaries: Day Ten

Morning Pages Wake Up Call: 6:02am
Word Count: 2443 (Total over 20k)

Treats: An hour of reading this afternoon
Exercise: Fence building at sparrows *art
Word of the Day: LASSITUDE noun
1. weariness of body or mind from strain, oppressive climate, etc.; lack of energy; listlessness; languor.
2. a condition of indolent indifference: the pleasant lassitude of the warm summer afternoon.

I got told off this morning for setting my clock a little fast (only ten minutes) but it confused poor Simon! I like to set clocks a little fast. Somehow it convinces me that I have more time. More fool me. The big dogs (gigantic in fact) have been getting out the last couple of days. We don't mind them being out, but the Italians are scared stiff of them. Bertie and Freya are two of the softest canines I've had the pleasure of knowing but still, when in Rome. So we were out mending fences at 6.45 this morning, slipping in the early morning dew.  

The bowl above is my random prompt generator. Scientific isn't it? At the end of my writing day (usually after this is posted) I ask Simon to select one bit of scrunched up paper. On the paper is a number from 1- 30 and on Scrivener I have thirty writing prompts. So for example yesterday was no 27. So that is the prompt I wrote to this morning. Simples. A bit like me really. 

Ciao for Now.

NaNo Diaries: Day Nine

My favourite writing tool, the humble fountain pen

Morning Pages Wake Up Call: 6.30 (though first up at 5.21)
Word Count: 2700 (total, a little shy of 18K!)
Treats: Certainly not after an indulgent Sunday.
Exercise: Playing frisbee with Naughty Nell
Word of the Day: FRANGIBLE adjective 1. easily broken; breakable: Most frangible toys are not suitable for young children.




As you can tell, I had a day off yesterday - though I did write 1200 words for NaNo. Sunday here in our household is generally a slow day. A dedicated PJ day. Having said that, last Sunday we were picking olives but that's a one off. Simon and I sit down after breakfast and complete a jumbo general crossword. We do a daily simple crossword every day and I also try to complete a Solitaire and have a bash at a Soduku or Killer Kakuro puzzle. Mind games we call them and as I saw my mum slowly disappear to Alzheimer's it's something I take very seriously, as well as seeing it as a bit of fun and distraction.

I've been playing about with my method for completing my NaNo target (or any other writing target for that matter). I do love, absolutely love to write longhand. With a fountain pen. The photo above was my latest treat. It's an 'old but unused' Schaeffer and I love it. I think better when I write longhand, but last week I was writing three A4 sheets by hand, then typing them up and adding to them in a second session. Not very good use of time. So this morning, I spent 10 minutes writing longhand to get the ideas flowing and then two sessions (a session for me is 25 minutes) Scrivenering... result 2700 words plus the 400 or so that I'd scribbled. 

No doubt I'll change it again before the end of the month is out.

Ciao for Now

NaNo Diaries: Day Seven

Sunset At Saline This Evening

Morning Pages Wake Up Call: 6.24
Word Count: 1000 (Total 14097) 
Treats: I'm just sipping on a spritzy G&T 
Exercise: In the garden, all day
Word of the Day: MAUKA  Adverb. 1. Hawaii. toward the mountains; inland.





Just come in from a day in the garden. First job was to erect some pea netting. Always involves a of blue air. Don't know why it's so difficult, just is. Not helped by Naughty Nell and chooks digging up the peas I had sown! Grrr.
Then we had to prune the Goji berry bushes. Another hateful job. They are full of spikes and my arms look like a pin cushion. Wouldn't mind if I liked the fruit but I don't. The Italians love them and they are quite expensive to buy - no wonder, they are letal!  And then of course there was the obligatory bonfire.
Finally we weeded a fairly large herb patch into which I'd thrown some wild flower seeds into at the beginning of the year. Shan't do that again.

We've just some in and as you can see the sun has begun to set. I'm too tired for a second NaNo session today, but I'm ahead of the game, so I don't feel so bad. I really enjoyed my morning prompt though and being in the garden has freed my mind and I have lots of juicy ideas. Just need to remember them!

Ciao for Now