Summer Madness

Crazy People


We have probably all encountered them. These are people who get the bit between their teeth so tightly that they swirl like a dervish spontaneously increasing their passion and speed. The crazy person gradually loses all sense of etiquette, as they wind themselves up to a frenzy.

The crazy person involves other people in situations that aren’t their business.

The crazy person’s vital weapon is the phone. They will ring and ring, but always avoid email. Perhaps it would slow them down.

Regardless of whatever it was that incited their craziness, this person is now crazy because you didn’t return their call within 2 seconds of receiving their message.

Any normal function you might perform -- such as sleeping at night, taking a shower, speaking to another human, going out to buy food -- is a lie. You weren’t doing any of those things, but insulting them by refusing to take their call.

Is there a crazy person in all of us, just waiting to get out?

If so, then the behaviour of 56-year-old Keith Walendowski, who shot his own lawnmower, seems the saner way to go... ;)

The Summit

I did it! Project complete, client happy (yippee!), and my apartment … a mess.

It’s been an intense couple of weeks, and it’s strange how time distorts when you’re working furiously towards a goal. It feels like I’ve been away from blogland much longer than 17 days.

And signing in to my Blogger account seems lovely and fresh.

And speaking of fresh: There are many pros and cons to working from home. But the number one advantage, a perk I never fail to appreciate, is putting a load of washing in the machine while also being at work. :)

Blog Break

This blog is on hiatus for two or three weeks.

I’m working on a design project that has turned tricky (naughty thing). There’s a mountain to climb. I don’t mind the challenge, but need lots of energy to reach the top. Once I’ve stuck a flag in the summit, I’ll be back...


In writing news: How I love submitting short stories! (Though I’ve sent out only two, thus far.) It’s so gloriously different than querying a novel. I’m hooked! :)

Novocaine

I had just recovered from my exhaustion/stress rash, and was feeling quite pucker as I dashed to a dental appointment yesterday afternoon. I tripped on the kerb, fell off my 3¾-inch heels and, in slow motion, collapsed towards the pavement. I managed to break the fall with my left hand, so avoided skinning my knees.

A kind stranger arrived at the scene in an instant. I assured him I was fine.

“As long as you’re all right,” he said.

“Yes, I think I’ve sprained my ankle,” I said, still crumpled on the pavement.

“That’s okay, then,” he smiled, before dashing back across the road.

Perhaps he’d hoped for a broken leg, a fractured skull, or maybe internal bleeding. ;)

I hobbled into the dental hygienist’s surgery then 'relaxed' in the chair. (I have a low tolerance for any form of dentistry, so much so that a humble clean and polish seems brutal.)

The hygienist asked if I’d tried the new PowerPolisher toothbrush heads she’d mentioned at my previous visit.

I must have been in shock from the fall, because I found this completely hilarious! Even when the goggles went on, with my mouth wide open and full of instruments, I couldn’t stop laughing at the dental dialogue.

Lying in the chair, my mind usually plays THAT scene from Marathon Man, but yesterday it was the black comedy Novocaine, with Steve Martin as the dentist. Then, suddenly, I was Jim Carrey as the patient... But which film is that?!

And it’s ironic that I should take such a tumble when my party-piece is stunt falls. Heart attack, bludgeoned from behind, gunshot impact... I do a convincing fall, without hurting myself at all!

Traditional Sherry Trifle

The most irresistible desert.


Barrie Summy put out a call for 4th of July side dishes. Visit her blog for a great 'ice cream in a bag' recipe and links to other recipes for delicious side dishes, salads and deserts.

We don’t celebrate the 4th of July in the UK (obviously) -- but is that any reason not to make a great big sherry trifle? Of course not!

Sherry trifle is quick to make and easily modified to suit different tastes. If you don’t like jelly, for example, just leave it out! If you prefer to use fresh fruit instead of tinned, please do, and decorate the top with raspberries, strawberries, or anything else you like...
 

Ingredients

 1 packet of trifle sponges
 1 pint (20 fl oz) milk, 2 oz custard powder, 2 oz caster sugar, or 1 pint ready-made custard
 1 packet of jelly
 1 tin of mixed fruit
 Medium sherry or port or brandy
 1 pint (20 fl oz) whipping cream (Or more if you prefer!)
 2 oz toasted, flaked almonds
 2 oz glace cherries, fresh fruit, or any other edible cake decoration


Method

1. Place trifle sponges into a 3½-pint glass serving bowl, or individual bowls or glasses.

2. Soak with the sherry, port or brandy. (If preferred this can be omitted.)

3. Make the jelly using any liquid from the fruit to top it up to make a pint.

4. Pour over the cake and leave to set.

5. If making your own custard form a paste with the custard powder, sugar and a little of the milk. Add to the rest of the milk and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave until cold. Stir every so often to prevent a skin forming.

6. When cold, pour the custard on top of the other ingredients.

7. Whip the cream and spoon carefully over the trifle.

8. Decorate, chill, and serve. 

9. Eat. :)

The Weather...

A very British subject about which to blog.


The month of June was like March or November -- until today. Thank heavens! This afternoon we’ve had sunshine, a slight breeze, and no rain.

I don’t suffer from seasonal affective disorder, but was starting to think the lack of summer was making me SAD. I need summer. Not only because the days are longer, people are happier, the countryside is gorgeous, and it’s nice to wear sandals and sunglasses … but also because it inspires me.

My novels are set in summer. And though I could turn up the heating and dress for the beach, it’s impossible to fake the smell: sunshine on moist soil, sprinkled with freshly cut grass.

However -- and perhaps because of the terrible weather -- I have written my first autumn/winter short story. And submitted it, today! In fact, this is my first short story submission. Appalling, I know. (I might be the world’s worst writer when it comes to sending out stories.)

More Words, Less Pictures

I’ve felt frustrated these last few weeks because I haven’t had time for writing: Ahhhhh! But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about writing -- which probably made the lack of production even more frustrating.

I knew the balance had been tipped when, two days ago, my face broke out in a rash. This is my exhaustion/stress rash. It is not very pretty, and not how you want to appear when meeting your Mercedes driving neighbour for the very first time. It’s bad enough that my Toyota is parked next to his gorgeously sparkling, top-of-the-range-oozing, sporty vehicle. What does this have to do with writing? Nothing at all. (Well, perhaps there’s a story in there somewhere…)

But, the silver lining of this enforced hiatus is that I’ve stepped back -- and come up with a new title for my YA novel, on which I’ll be resuming submissions, next week. And that title is... Hybrids Taste Delicious. I love it, and can now see how off-track I was with the previous title, which did little to reflect the mood of the story.

Speaking of titles, Conduit, AKA Stuart Neville, has what is possibly the best book trailer, ever, for his well-titled thriller, The Ghosts of Belfast. It can be viewed on his website. Enjoy!

Thirty hours in Edinburgh...

Is not quite enough to appreciate this fabulous city.

Despite high winds and changeable skies, I fell in love with the place -- and am not at all disappointed to have to return next week. :)

Thanks to Travis’s comment on the previous post, I remembered to take my camera. Once I start snapping, it’s impossible to stop; I took 222 pictures. I’ve narrowed things down to what looks like a good cross-section, but -- this remains a very long post!


Hilly terrain and no urban sprawl,
means open views from the city centre



The Glasshouse Hotel:
a wonderful mix of old and new



Public art



Magnificent buildings



St. Andrew Square


Statues and monuments everywhere




A pub



One café...



And another



Sean Connery walked past me, twice, on Shandwick Place. His right arm was in a sling. I smiled, and he smiled back.

I regret not taking his photograph!

~~~~~~

EDITED: There were originally twenty photos to this post. Which was a few too many, so I’ve cut it down to ten.

Bonnie Scotland

Edinburgh is a beautiful city. I remember it vividly even though I haven’t visited for years. (It somehow fell off my radar, usurped by Glasgow.) It’s unique features include two extinct volcanoes, one of them right in the city centre onto which Edinburgh Castle is built; a fact I was unaware of until today.

I have a meeting there tomorrow. It’s a trip I could do easily in one day, but I’m going to stay overnight and spend Friday enjoying the city. Fingers-crossed for sunshine and no rain!

Next week, I hope life will be more-or-less back to normal, after the chaos of moving. I’m hungry to get back to writing and catch-up on blog reading. Bet I’ve missed tons of great stuff!

Catch-Up!

Katie Alender, author of BAD GIRLS DON’T DIE -- a novel I am dying to read as soon as it’s released in April 2009 -- tagged me on May 31st. I know... that was AGES ago! But, with all this moving malarkey... 
Enough excuses; here goes! 

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

I was living a fast-lane fashion life in New York City; designing by day, socialising by night. I’d worked incredibly hard to reach my position -- but, I wasn’t creatively satisfied, and was starting to doubt whether I wanted to remain in the fashion world for the rest of my life.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

Write ‘snagging’ list (I’m in a newly converted apartment). Meet with developer’s site-manager to discuss that list and arrange for snags to be fixed. Unpack another box or two. (It’s never-ending!) Paint toenails with new silvery-brown nail polish. Finish reading Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.

3) Snacks I enjoy:

Black olives are my favourite, although I’m currently addicted to almond, apricot and yoghurt Love Bars, and macadamia nuts. And I’ve had a life-long love affair with XL Cheese Crisps.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

First thought: I would give a lot to charity. Second thought: How many billions are we talking about? Would it be enough to do something to stop bio-fuel being grown in place of food crops, and to start producing fuel from household waste on a humongous scale? If so, then that’s what I would do.

I’d also buy my parents a bigger bungalow, and pay-off my little sister’s mortgage. I would design and build a modernist/futuristic house in the country, on a plot with some woodland, a stream, and a field for two horses.

5) Places I have lived:

Carlisle, Cumbria; Wetheral, Cumbria; Dundee, Scotland; London, England; New York City, USA.

6) Jobs I have had:

Waitress, shop assistant, factory worker, bar tender, art gallery assistant, extra in music videos, artist in residence, art reviewer, accessories designer, fabric designer, knitwear designer, trend forecaster.

7) This is where I’m meant to tag six others. Instead, I say this: If you would like to do the meme... then YOU are TAGGED!!! :) 

New Horizons

It has happened. Last week was a blur, but, by some small miracle, and the hard work of two fabulous helpers, I have moved!!! The apartment is WONDERFUL. It’s on the top floor of a converted mill and the views are spectacular!


(I'll take more photos, with my real camera, on a less cloudy day.)

Nothing feels strange or unfamiliar -- as if I've lived here much longer than five days. However, the partly unpacked boxes and general disorganisation prove that I’m barely installed. And I can confirm -- as a scientific fact -- unpacking takes ten times longer than packing.

Speaking of which, it took a non-stop, twenty-hour packing marathon to have everything ready to leave the haunted house by last Wednesday’s deadline.

I am now totally, utterly, and completely exhausted. Which is perhaps why the unpacking is such hard work.

This apartment does seem to be ghost-free. All I’m picking up on the ether is my neighbours’ Wi-Fi. Lucky for me, as mine won’t be connected for another week to ten days. :)

Cardboard Boxes

The final countdown: In 36 hours, removal men will cart my worldly possessions out of this haunted house.

Not all my worldly possessions; I have a storage unit that I intended to use for a month or two -- to which I still have the keys after almost two years! After moving into the apartment, I intend to move everything out of storage. It is probably time I started behaving less like a gypsy and more like a settled, grown-up person. (Perish the thought, says the teenage part of my brain.)

I’m navigating an obstacle course of part-packed boxes, semi-organised piles of paraphernalia, disassembled furniture, assorted tools and packing materials. Whenever I move, I imagine a quick and organised process, but in reality, it’s chaotic, slow, and slightly boring.

There are so many more interesting applications for cardboard boxes. Other than stuffing them full of possessions then sealing them with dull brown tape, one could…

Make an attractive lamp


A warm blanket


A car


A rocket


Star Wars costumes!


A kitchen


Or a monster...


to keep life scary, in case the new property does not come with ghosts. :)