Weather, sleep, life and keeping going

Nothing to do with writing but cute!

 I don't know about you, by my sleep pattern is completely gone to pot lately. The hot weather, late night football, and this morning, around four o'clock, we had the mother of all storms. Admittedly it was exciting with so much lightning. I got up to watch, but that's my morning messed up because here I am at five thirty writing this. Breakfast number one must be due. I often find I am eating two breakfasts when I am up early. This isn't helping the diet!

I am falling asleep before lunch and have to take two naps sometimes in this heat. Rue is suffering too. Two nights ago he dragged me downstairs. He wanted to go out. What he really wanted to do was lie on the patio in the dark, enjoying the cooler air. Eventually, I threw the curtains back on the open window to let in as much air in as possible and he settled on the bed. I was then under the covers because I was chilly!

Lack of sleep makes me snappy and I cannot concentrate, so I've found myself in bed in the afternoon just to catch up. Maybe I shouldn't have stayed up to watch the Scotland match, but at least this one finished around 1am, whereas the previous match didn't start until 2am (no way was I staying up for that one).

Strangely, Rue isn't bothered by storms (nor fireworks, thankfully) but if he finds a random flying plastic bag, he's spooked. We have a fan downstairs and Rue has two cooling mats, one downstairs and one upstairs. I've been taking him walkies earlier and earlier in the mornings. I must admit I like the early morning walks when no one much is around, but these really early mornings make the day drag sometimes because it's too hot to do anything. Yesterday I did some early morning gardening after Rue's walk, and made it out to the post office after breakfast. I don't have anything much on this week, but friends are telling me they are cancelling meet-ups because it's too hot.

I feel sorry for the tennis players (Queens last week and Eastbourne this week). Surely, there must come a time when these events are cancelled if summers are going to be like this? I see most horse racing has been cancelled due to the heat. Thank goodness someone is thinking of those horses travelling long distances in this weather. For a long time I have thought that our world is going to have to change and we really aren't prepared. This morning I was reading that rail companies are suggesting people only travel if necessary. In this weather rails can reach 50c and that's when they buckle. And does anyone want to travel on the tube? London is unbearable in the heat.

On Friday I go to a short tennis class for the over 50's with the dreadful title of Forever Active! I'm not sure about this week. The guy who usually oversees the class is away, and he opens the fire door to the outside when it's hot. The other staff don't. My gripe is that as people of a certain age, it is is less safe for us in the heat with the door shut for 'health and safety' than it is for us being open. I may go for one game and then leave. I'll see how I feel and how hot it is before I decide.

Anyway, I didn't really mean to go off on one about climate change (though have you noticed that the sea is no longer as cold as it used to be at this time of year?)

I am writing a climate fiction story right now, so this kind of feeds into it. The first time I wrote about climate was back when I was in my twenties (like King Charles I was aware of all this way back). I still have the story (handwritten) in a cupboard. Maybe one day I will dig it out and revise it.

Yesterday I sent my six poems to the tutor for feedback. I did a little more editing before submitting them. I'm interested to see what she thinks and how the poems can improved.

The manuscript I sent to my proofreader has come back and I have made most of the amendments, but I am yet to receive answers to the questions I asked. However, she doesn't like the ending, and there are aspects of it I don't like either. At the moment I am not sure what to do with it, but I feel it is not going to be ready to submit by the end of this month for the competition. There will be other opportunities. As the fee for entry is quite high, it is not worth sending something that I am not completely happy with. It has to be the best I can do and not hurried.

Meanwhile, Streetcake magazine has published their latest issue which includes a piece by me called Best Mother in the World Award. Two friends have read it and laughed in all the right places, identifying with the sentiments of motherhood. Do have read yourself. I'm quite proud to appear in this experimental magazine for the third time, I think it is. I love reading the magazine too.

Well, I'm off. Should I eat breakfast or go back to bed? I'm not sure, but I really would love a decent night's sleep. Stay cool folks.