Everything’s Coming Up Roses

Here we go again! Another post title utilizing a song title from a musical. Any guesses? It’s from ‘Gypsy.’ Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, music by Jule Styne, book by Arthur Laurents. I only recently discovered that it’s based on real people. 

Sunday. 9.50 a.m. It's another really fine and beautiful morning here in Milton Keynes. I was out well before 6 a.m. and since then I have been out again with Alfie. The whole place is heaving with people jogging and exercising. Mind you, it's too hot for that for me and is expected to get even hotter as the week progresses.

I have had ideas of how to continue my writing and thought it best to put pen to paper and get it down before it disappeared like snow in sunshine. I should really say pencil to paper as I never write with a pen. Similar, I find, to Roald Dahl, who always used a specific brand and type of pencil.  The brand was Dixon, Ticonderoga Artist Pencil No 12. They are yellow with an eraser on their tip. He used to have six, ready sharpened, with an electric sharpener, because he didn't want to leave his writing shed once he started writing. He used to throw unused pages of writing in a dustbin that overflowed with paper because he was so finicky about the quality and just wanted to get it perfect. And who can blame him?

I have another three sides of A4 written. Writing is like dealing with the wind. You have to go with the flow before a gust of wind blows your thoughts away and get it down on paper because it's gone if you forget what you had thought of, which is why keeping a notebook of your ideas and thoughts is so important. When I move from the house in Eaglestone I, unfortunately, mislaid two such notebooks, which were full of bits and pieces, jottings, notes, ideas, characters, plot ideas. All of it lost forever unless some kind soul finds them and they are returned to me.

It is definitely hot! Alfie doesn't like it, and I'm not over-fond. I don't mind it being dry and bright, but when it gets too hot, like now, I find it very difficult to keep cool. I think I prefer a more temperate climate, cool, without rain, with a bit of a breeze. Being indoors is really the order of the day.

We are now being told that lockdown restrictions are likely to remain in place until spring! I can't believe our beloved politicians are even listening to the doomsayers, the scientists. Even a month more is too long to wait until Freedom Day, but around NINE MONTHS! I think in all honesty, the population of the United Kingdom will revolt. We have several vaccines and around 60% of adults have had at least one dose, probably more have had two and they're about to vaccinate children. We have good immunity, built up by having the vaccine and probably from herd immunity, and they are considering having more lockdowns??? PLEASE not more! There are some business owners, those who run hospitality, hotels, bars, B and Bs, and similar premises, who are threatening to SUE the government if this happens. They have ordered stock, food, drink, and so on, which would go to waste if they can't sell it. It would be the same in the entertainment industry, where theatres have been dark from late March 2020. Actors, technicians, and all those who are involved in some way in the theatre industry have been building up to reopening on 21st June. Rehearsals for shows which have been closed down because of lockdown restrictions will be all for nothing if there are to be no audiences to watch their shows.

One hopes things are 'coming up roses', but we will know later today whether lockdown will be relaxed. Come on Boris! We want our lives back.

Writing and Sunshine

It's turning out to be a particularly fine and sunny morning. Trying in vain to prevent our dogs seeing either of the two cats who live next door who seem to take real pleasure in teasing Alfie and Poppy, by appearing on the shed roof which can be seen clearly through the lounge window. They slink in and stare into the room and this makes both dogs mad and they rush to the window and stand on their hind legs to peer out, barking like crazy. If the sliding door is open from the kitchen into the garden they bound out, making so much noise it must be heard by all our neighbours on both sides. Alfie rushed out yesterday evening when we were attempting to watch 'Pointless,' which we watch every evening and stood looking up at the cat which was perched on top of the shed. I think it was enjoying the sun and sleeping peacefully until the dogs came out noisily. The cats know full well that they can't be reached by either dog, which is why they have this somewhat arrogant air about them as they sit on either the shed or the fence, such as it is. 'Fence' is a rather inappropriate word as the state of the pile of wood which once formed our boundary fence is really quite poor. Still no sign or it being repaired by our landlord, by the way.

I've done a bit more work on the new piece of writing I mentioned in the previous post. I think I've managed to write about one side of an A4 sheet, which I suppose is around 2-300 words or there about. I know that when word-processed, you can, on average, get around 500 words on an A4 sheet of paper, obviously depending on the size of the font you use.

I've started watching a new Channel Four drama series which began on Sunday called "Humans" which is about 'synths' or robotic 'helpers.' Good to have some science fiction drama that is intelligent and well developed for once. It leaves you  really pondering all sorts of things such as how robots could, and probably already do, get used in our lives, and most likely when we don't even realise, but obviously not as realistically 'human' as those portrayed here. Well worth a try if you haven't already seen it,  and is available to watch through Channel Four's catch-up service. Just to warn you: Contains  adult issues and themes, although fairly mild. Not suitable for children.

Writing Novel

Things are progressing well. I wrote around three more pages yesterday.  I've written a further third of a page this morning. It's easier than I'd imagined. Once the thing flows, I just have to keep on writing. I write with a pencil, on a ringbound pad, A4. I have written with a ball-point or a black pen, but I prefer pencil as it's easier to rub things out with an eraser and correct.  I have several pencils and keep them sharpened at all times. I don't like things to be too fixed at this early stage, which is why I don't like ink to write with.  I have worked in the lounge and sat in an armchair to write. It's important that there isn't a lot of noise to distract me. I don't need complicated technology to write on, although I have written other things directly onto word processing software on my computer. I can type reasonably fast. I have now cleared a space in the spare room in this house, and yesterday afternoon, which was a really productive day, I sat at the desk and wrote. I have a comfortable office chair in there. I have an electric dictionary which is good for spell-checking (It's a Franklin Collins English Dictionary, Express Edition,  I got it from Amazon.) I go back over what I have written several times and rewrite if I think it's necessary. Then, when I have quite a few pages, I transfer the whole lot onto Word on the iMac. It's at that point I am able to print it off and read it in draft, and can make further corrections as I read.