It's nearly Christmas!

 This will be my last post until after Christmas, when I shall put together my review of the year. Well, the last Christmas card has been written, posted or hand delivered, and I have just two small presents still to wrap. Today has been taken up with making my easy-peasy no-cook marzipan sweets and a second batch of vegan spice biscuits. Mince pies were made last weekend and my son has asked if we can have a fruit cake this year. I've not made a traditional Christmas cake for many years as no one likes Royal icing. Over the years, I've made a sponge cake topped with water icing (decorated with a Father Christmas, tree etc!), a cranberry cake and a fruit loaf. A last visit to the shops tomorrow morning should hopefully get me everything I need for Christmas. I've got this!

I've indulged in a few Christmas concerts, including one by the choir I used to belong to. I met my friend who proofreads for me there, which was just lovely. Then there was the last concert I took part in with two other choirs. That was a special evening.

So, what have I been writing? Well, actually I've been editing. I went back to the story I wrote recently and did a first edit. It still needs a tweak, but it's almost there. The Island (working title) is another long  story which I actually wrote back in 2018. This is the first time I have been back to it. A good edit was needed and I am re-writing the ending as I changed bits, as you do! I think this might fall into the YA category.

Working hard on editing

My last piece of news for this year is that I am about to have another poem published. There was a squeal of delight when I received the email from Streetcake online journal. They only publish experimental poetry, so this is a first for me. I rarely write it, so I was really pleased to have my poem picked. I'll post a link when it is published.

Well, that's it folks. I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and hope you get lots of books (that's what I'm hoping for!)

Here is a song from Syrinx filmed at the concert I was singing in. This is the only song we could say was Christmassy - a Finnish Reindeer herding song. Enjoy.

 

All I want to do and what I have done

Excitement of the week - finding a supply of tomato puree

What I should be doing is writing. I have two novellas in progress, one started last year, the other about two/three years ago. The trouble is I don't feel the enthusiasm for story writing at the moment. I did go back to the novella I began last year and have added a little more to it. I even know where it is going, though not the ending. Yet I keep putting it off.

What I have been doing is more gardening, preparing beds and scattering seeds and sitting outside reading. I have read two books this week so my book pile are going down. I have a list of others to add to them! At present this is all I want to do, read.

I did get out for a walk today, first one in a week. There aren't many places near me but I chose one that cuts through a golf course. I seemed to spend more time on busy roads than in the quiet wooded walk. It seems so much shorter than it used to!

View across the golf course

I got particularly excited at the end of the food shop, after the walk, because I found a small shop with a supply of tomato puree. This seems to be one of those items in short supply. They only had cans but I bought three. I use tomato puree a lot in my veggie dishes.

At the back of a cupboard I came across a cookie mix box with a best before 2014! It's one of those you just add an egg and vegetable oil to. Well, I used it and they are going fast!

The highlight of the week was the supermoon and I got just a little obsessed with taking photos. My son even took his small telescope outside and I had a chance to get a better view of Venus. Thankfully, the sky was clear and it was warm enough to lurk around outside.

When I'm bored I often end up writing nonsense verse to amuse myself and my Facebook friends. So, let me share today's with you.

Mug

He was a half empty rather than half full kinda guy,

and always brimming slops of liquid brown eyes,

yet I would cup my hands around his body, feel the

warmth of him seeping into me.

Sometimes he was like china in my hands, overflowing

in emotion; I carefully arranged drip mats before him,

his spillages were hot tears or cold comfort, a handle

I couldn’t hold on to.

We ended up going around in circles and I threw him

to the wall. I shattered his heart and for that I am sorry;

I took up with someone whose lines lay between leather

bound pages.

Live poetry, an exhibition and Christmas

I have been without the internet for three days. You never quite realise how much you miss it until that happens. Some workmen drilled through the Virgin Media fibre optic cable, near me, along with some gas pipes and it affected a large part of south west London. The priority was to get the hospital back on line and then everyone else. I'm not sure if everyone has been re-connected but ours came back at eleven o'clock last night.

At one point I used the internet via my son's mobile so I could do some essential things, but his data was going so I was quick. Even our local coffee shop had no wi-fi! While there is something to be said for getting away from social media for a while, the internet has become an everyday essential.

And now I'm back I can do a catch up. Last Sunday afternoon I went along to the Boulevard Theatre in Soho again. This time Live Canon presented an event with Valley Press - four of their poets were reading. I came across Valley Press some years ago and have bought books from them. Recently they started a subscription service and, liking what they do, I have signed up for a year. So I was keen to support them at this event and I got to see the theatre itself. It is a small and very intimate space. I booked a seat in the second row. I hadn't expected to be so close to the stage. This is an excellent space for poetry. Helen from Live Canon introduced Jamie McGarry from Valley Press who then went on to introduce each poet. The four performing were Ralph Dartford, Cherry Taylor Battiste, Adham Smart and Julia Deakin. I had not come across any of these poets before but their poems were powerful and very different. While I enjoyed all the poets my favourite was Julia Deakin for her variety.

I hope to return to the Boulevard in the future and hear more poets. There is something going on there every Sunday afternoon. There is a lovely bar/restaurant area, which was quiet by that time. I had a nice pot of tea, but I had to smile. With all the drinks machines around these days huffing and puffing through frothy coffees and different teas, my tea was made by boiling a kettle. How quaint!

Since that event I have received my first newsletter and book from Valley Press as part of the subscriptions service (you get to choose your books). I have a book of short stories by Judy Darley, and I think next time I will choose Julia Deakin's book.

Now Christmas is upon us and I've been baking biscuits and making my marzipan sweets. It's something I used to do to you use up left over marzipan after covering a Christmas cake. I no longer make a Christmas cake as only I eat it. There is a limit even for me! But I adore marzipan. I cover glace cherries with it and roll them in icing sugar. There are variations and this year I've covered some in chocolate and cocoa.  My elder son is going to make a non-Christmas cake (an orange cake) and I've still to make mince pies.

These Amaretti biscuits are the best! First time making
them. Going fast. Everyone loves them.

Cranberry Thumbprint Biscuits

Marzipan sweets (first layer!)

In between the cleaning, baking and shopping I'm still writing my one-a-day poems. I went along to the British Museum on Tuesday to see an exhibition. Inspired by the East shows how we fell in love with tiles and ceramics and copied them. Paintings, sculptures and sketches of objects and costumes were also on show. While at the museum I looked at an art exhibition in room 90 featuring contemporary art from the 1970's to the present day, with art from Tracey Emin, David Hockney, and a favourite of mine, Anselm Kiefer. I found the day inspirational especially when it came to some poetry writing.

Anselm Kiefer

I also managed to get back to writing group in over in Hammersmith yesterday afternoon. I've really missed it, though it took me a while to get my head into gear. I'd not had a lot of sleep and felt quite tired. But it was fun and good to see everyone. The cafe was almost deserted. I guess everyone was off Christmas shopping.

Finally my new laptop has arrived and my son has been setting it up for me. I used it briefly yesterday but I need to transfer some files over (my writing ones) so today I'm using the old one as it's quicker and easier until I get to grips with the new one and have everything I need on it. I was amazed at how quickly it boots up and shuts off. This one takes about ten minutes!

This will be my post until after Christmas, so I'd like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I do hope you'll come back now and then.

HAPPY  CHRISTMAS

#wpad July Challenge - Writing Fuel

Writing Fuel

Maybe I am unique but when I am 'in the zone', food is the last thing I actually want because it takes time out to cook it and to eat it!  So, left to my own devices I will go as long a possible (though snacking helps - see last paragraph).  When I get desperate and cannot ignore the rumbling of my stomach any longer I go for what's quickest and not necessarily healthy.  I resort to a cheese sandwich or I have a spicy tomato paste (veg/vegan) which I have in a sandwich, with cucumber if I have any.

Other foods that are quick are beans on toast with a little curry powder added, if I remember, and black pepper.  I love black pepper and add it to virtually everything.  One more quickie is fried sliced tomatoes with garlic and oregano (topped with black pepper, of course).

There is also the stare into the fridge to see what left overs there are that can be reheated in the mircowave!

Having a family it isn't so easy to get out of the cooking so I have to stop and cook a meal at night and to be honest I do most of my writing in the morning so it isn't a problem.  When I was doing assignments for my Open University course the family got used to last minute meals of pasta and sauce and whatever ready meal there was in the fridge/freezer.  They learned not to question it after a few adult tantrums on deadlines and no time of my own!  No, I'm not that fierce really, they just know when I'm in a mood and keep clear.  My moods pass swiftly.  I've never been able to keep up a mood for long even as a child - it's such a waste of time!

I'm not a chocolate person as a rule.  I can leave a box unopened from Christmas to Easter but once it's open I try to limit myself to two a day - heck I can be strong.  A bar of chocolate once opened doesn't fare so well!  So I don't buy it normally.  What I have is usually what others have bought me and I am generous - I share. However, if I need a quick boost when I'm out I'll for a Snickers bar, always my favourite and the bigger bars are like a meal in itself.

I guess food for me is something that is essential in life.  I'd rather be doing something else rather than cook.  I'm not into dinner parties or eating out in general except as a treat.  That's not what I'm about.  I hate spending hours preparing and cooking (then there's all the washing up) and then it's gone.  I do, however, quite like baking cakes, perhaps more to the point...eating them!  I bake for Church events and I love baking at Christmas.

When I'm writing what I fuel up on most is probably cups of tea or water, though if there is a bag of peanuts close by I'll have those.  Cereal is a good quick easy snack if you are up against the wall for a deadline! Oh....and Starburst, I'm rather partial to those - the lime green ones are my favourite followed by orange, strawberry then blackcurrant.  There, I've even rated them for you!