The good
A really good writing week! Not only did I write several pages (yet to be typed up) on Don’t Quit The Day Job, I dipped into The Rassendyll Kidnapping, pushed it up above 60,000 words just because it was so close, and decided that maybe it had some possibilities after all. I’m not sure how long I’m going to be able to keep riding this wave, but I’m enjoying it while it lasts.
Yesterday was the Cursillo Quiet Day, which happened very satisfactorily without my having to do very much about it at all. I spent a while sitting on a bench in the churchyard in the sunshine and it was lovely.
The mixed
Tiredness, naps, walks or not, yada yada.
The difficult and perplexing
Winter’s last (one hopes) gasp. I missed Friday’s blizzard, but all that really means is that I cycled to the station through cold and heavy rain before it turned to snow.
Worrying about various things over which I have limited or no control. It doesn’t help, of course.
What’s working
Deciding the evening before what I’ll be writing the next day. Tomorrow I’m going to do another exercise for each of the underpopulated chapters. This is falling apart a little bit because I didn’t type up last week’s work yesterday; I suspect that if I had I’d have something more strategic. But never mind.
Experimenting with
Taking a shower or bath in the evening rather than in the morning. The theory is that it’ll wake me up after work and make my mornings less crowded.
And, if doing anything at all is going to result in my needing a nap, scheduling in the nap and doing the thing. Less depressing than not doing the things.
Thinking about
Negative capability, and the ability to sit with unanswered questions.
Reading
I keep forgetting to report on my Sunday reading. I finished Intimate Jesus (read disconcertingly like a ship manifesto, for those who are familiar with fandom terms: Angel argues with some vehemence that of course Jesus had a sexuality and of course he never did anything with it); the part that will remain with me is the image of St John the Evangelist removing himself from a bath house due to the presence of a heretic therein. Now I’m reading Black, Gay, British, Christian, Queer (Jarel Robinson-Brown), which is excellent, and alternately making me think and making go, ‘yes, exactly!’ It is very refreshing to read something that isn’t just another dissection of the clobber texts.
Writing
See The Good, above.
Mending
Darned one pair of tights and part of a worn bit of a sock. Then the cat jumped into my tea (not very warm by that point) and got tea leaves over everything.
Looking at
St John the Baptist, Somersham. The friendly little fish at the top of this post is decorating the font cover.
Cooking
Cauliflower and parsnip royal korma: a recipe I’ve made several times before, but which seemed to work out better than most previous attempts. I made up the korma spice from this recipe, which worked very well (though I really wouldn’t call it ‘American’ cuisine…).
Eating
A very nice bit of roast lamb. Some very old barszcz from the freezer (I am trying to use up things from the freezer…)
Moving
Full-length morning walks on both my work-from-home days this week.
In the garden
One of the tulips appears to be developing a bud.
Appreciating
Sunshine, both inside and outside a church. Being with other people, but quietly.
Wanting
To have both time and energy when I’m at home.
Line of the week
This is from a 2011 Hidden Europe article on Birmingham’s number 11 bus route.
George and Richard Cadbury – brothers, philanthropists and chocolatiers – knew the ingredients of human happiness: Tudor beams, indoor toilets, decent plumbing, education, the village green and chocolate.
Sunday snippet
From Don’t Quit The Day Job:
You may feel that daydreaming about all this stuff will guarantee that it’s never going to happen. Very natural. But honestly, unless you’re one of the very, very lucky, very, very few, you’re going to be back at your desk, till, or steering wheel tomorrow morning even if you do find yourself achieving something you can legitimately be very proud of.
This coming week
Two days in the office, one evening meeting, two days working from home and then a fasting glucose test. Not looking forward to that last one.
Anything you’d like to share from this week? Any hopes for next week? Share them here!
Kathleen Jowitt 