Procrastination

With a view like this from my desk there really is absolutely no excuse for not sitting here and writing. Ok, one excuse could be that the view is way too beautiful to take your eyes off.

This was taken one morning as the sun came up. No matter what time of day it is this panorama is never boring. Whether the rain is lashing down, the wind whipping up around all sides of my house from the sea or the sun is making the sea an enormous mackerell mirrror I just can't stop watching. 

Stunning but not helpful, a bit like me in reverse!

Another is that my smallest child wants to play snakes and ladders 24/7 these days. And, although I know I should resist, I can't help playing just to hear him squeal with delight every time mummy has to walk up a ladder and he gets to slide down a snake....I know that I really should teach him the rules but I can't bear the thought of losing to a 4 year old!

People watching is another classic. Flying kites. Kicking balls. Children shrieking with excitement. 

So here I am procrastinating!

I'm not as bad as I used to be, BM (Before Manifesto). at least I have goals that I am working towards, step by step.

• I am waiting replies from the Children's library and East Sussex County Council re: a walk round to discuss what the service users (us) would like in the new premises and whether or not a mini-makeover for the existing site is feasible.

• I am writing SOMETHING daily. This is a major step forward for me.  
• I have 'pitched' (sounds a bit grand but I think the right term) an idea for a column for Hastings Online Times and have been told that I can write it weekly. I am very excited about this! 
• I have kept this blog updated regularly - again - a massive achievement for me! (Staying power of a gnat!). 
• And....drum roll....I have the rough outline for my first three chapters for the competition! Huzzah!
• I am NOT stagnating. These days I try to keep busy - unlike the me formally known as couch potato. Thanks to this movement and the fact that I have things occupying my mind other than which PJs I should slump into I am feeling a little fitter and my clothes are getting a little looser. A great snowball effect!  

I think, in the grand scheme of things, I shall allow myself a little procrastination. I'm worth it! Now where's that child, I'm on a winning streak! Best of 17? Hey where's he gone?

Pants

Morning! And a jolly Saturday to one and all.

Today is a pants day. No, I'm fine....mostly (slightly hungover perhaps!) However, pants is the 'mot du jour'

I have decided to wear nice ones today, in fact I have decided that everyday will be pants and that I am going to dig out every good pair of pants I own and give them pride of place at the front of my drawer. Generally they stay curled up and ragged at the back like some long forgotten souvenir of a great date.

Every morning, up until today that is, I have pulled out the first available pair. This usually results in something resembling the before shot on '10 Years Younger' - I can just hear that smug blonde mocking me as I pull them up and they come to rest unhappily on my five-babies-later-hips.

No more the shameful undergarments for me, the ones I would be ashamed of if I were to be involved in an accident. No siree, from henceforth I shall be in the serene knowledge that my slightly chubby deriere shall be sheathed in the luxury of satin, silks and ribbons. I shall wear the smile of someone happy to be knocked over by the number 28a and whisked off to hospital, laughing in the security that comes to those of us who wear nice knickers, that when my time comes to undress, I should be almost dancing around the Accident and Emergency department flashing my drawers! If it wasn't for the hypothetically broken legs!

Don't panic, I'm not about to squeeze myself uncomfortably into VPL inducing tightness, I'd rather stick to my rice-bags than bestow that sight on my nearest and dearest. No, I have just banished the saggy, grey, unflattering unappealing remnants of a former me to the rag re-cycling bin. I do hope they can't be traced back to me....they'll probably arrive back here in a few weeks with 'Thanks, but no thanks, we're not that desperate!'

Right, I've got to get my beautifully dressed back-side into gear now. I'm supposed to be writing you know! And this hangover isn't helping; my lovely other half bought a bottle of bubbly to celebrate last night. No, not my pants epiphany..... although finding his hat in the cupboard intended for the storing of hats does now, in the cold light of day, seem like quite a spurious reason for celebration! Oh well....he's happy, I'm happy!

Swing your pants guys!

Count Your Blessings

Hey....where did the weekend go?

I shouldn't complain; I had a lovely time. Catching up with old friends and dropping in on my lovely mum and dad.

I am blessed indeed  - I was double booked by two sets of fantastic friends. My old 'mum' friends who I met when my older boys were at toddler groups, 20 or so years ago (ouch). And my 'theatre group' friends, who I met - as the description implies, when I was part of a theatre group.

I love evenings like that, people with whom you have shared everything with, the trials and triumphs of love, children....dress rehearsals!!

I always come home feeling totally refreshed and re-newed by the energy I share with these fantastic women. We've all had our share of crappy times and brilliant times. We've been to eachothers weddings, been there for broken hearts listened out for one anothers babies crying and some of us, sadly, have been to funerals together. These girls are my history and if  i'm lucky, my future. I am so thankful for them.

This week will have me using the re-charged batteries to:

•  follow up contacts I got last week for library plans.
• start a little walking (daily hopefully) in readiness for Hadrian's Wall
• get some writing done now I have managed to recover the lost files (disaster struck last Wednesday - my computer crashed with all my stuff...much swearing to be heard throughout Hastings, apologies to anyone in the vicinity!)

Hope you all approached Monday with a little positivity....'it's better than the alternative' as my beautiful sister said earlier!

What a Week!

The manifesto is keeping me really focused. I probably would've buckled by now but I have real, achievable aims. And, most importantly, I am not stagnant!

• I'm still hopping around excitedly from the news that my writing was highly commended. That was enough for one week really. 

• On top of that we held our first meeting for folk wanting getting the most for our children's library.

•  I had my very first telephone conversation with a Councillor....yes I know I should grow up but I was genuinely thrilled that he was interested in my ideas for the library. 

• A lovely lady from East Sussex Library Service called me today and wants to meet with me at the library for a walk round to discuss what's wrong with it....and, not forgetting what's right with it. I would really appreciate it if any of you are available to come with me, I shall post the date when I have confirmed.

• The Head Teacher at the school where I work is keen to get our student council involved in the process of improving the  library, and at some point would love them to have a chance to help in some of the decisions after consulting children from other Hastings' schools. How great would it be for our children to feel they have some ownership? (Rhetorical - please, no answers on postcards!).

• And... I have been invited to a meeting alongside other writers with the Hastings Online Times team to discuss future writing. 

All in all a great week. Better still, this weekend I will be catching up with my old girlfriends - there will be much chatter and laughter! Life is sweet.

Have a great weekend everyone!

An Inaugural Meeting

Hi all


Well that was quite scary! I have never called a meeting in my life. Just the word meeting is enough to send me into blind panic. Parents evening - either as a child or as a parent have always been embarrassing at best and jaw clenchingly awful at worst.


However. Lovely people turned up, that was a surprise in itself, not that they were lovely but that they came along to MY meeting.

I took a long a newspaper just in case it was a no-show and then I could pretend to be just passing by of a Monday night with my notebook and hopeful face!
 Note to self, don't forget 'Aims' from my personal manifesto.....I AM AS CLEVER AS EVERYONE ELSE....THERE IS NO SECRET CODE......start believing that I can achieve stuff too.


Here's what we discussed:

Information we need to have:

• Contact name at Planning dept. (Erika has a contact and will follow that)
• Time frame expectation for commencement of refurbishment
• Whether, time-frame depending, it would be feasible to be to push for minor refurb on existing Children’s Library – our children are missing vital experiences and they grow up very fast.
• Will we be allowed to have our say? What format will this take?

In order to attract families to use the library we all agreed that it needs to become more of a ‘destination’. It needs to be enticing and exciting for children. I mentioned ‘The Ministry for Stories’ a non-profit making organisation established in 2010 in North London. This was set up as an initiative to improve literacy and encourage young people in imaginative writing. I’m not suggesting we follow that model; however I feel we could learn a lot from them.

Please take a look: http://www.ministryofstories.org/ . It also needs to ‘work’ for parents and disabled users.

Essential Facilities:

·        Café. This should be easily accessible for families – i.e. on same floor. Affordable meals. The Bridge Community Centre offers healthy low priced meals and this should be replicated (or similar).

·        Toilet facilities appropriate for all users. Toilets MUST be available on Children’s Library level.

·        An area for older children to be able to read quietly and use computers away from toddlers, but still within Children’s library allowing parental control etc.

·        Access

Desirable Facilities/services:

• Storyteller – available on a regular basis. If parents appear unable/unwilling/shy/busy with smaller siblings then someone should be able to share books with children. Ideally personnel who find it easy to interact with children should work in this part of the library – we need inspiring people!
• Using the Ministry of Stories model – we feel the environment could be made more subject specific. Themes changing regularly. Pirates, monsters, princesses etc.
• The library should have more contact with local schools especially at Primary level. Not just the Summer Reading Challenge.
• Art/craft sessions.

Finally, the library needs to encourage community and be more readily accepting of volunteers.

It was a great start and I feel the momentum rolling.

Just a last note for today - thanks for following me here. I have had so many fantastic responses. Lots of people have said that they too are trying to make the most of this year - changing their mindset and endeavouring to step out of comfort zones! If you haven't been here before and want to know what i'm talking about please look back over the last couple of weeks posts! And feel free to come along for the ride!

Highly Commended

I know it's bad form to blow one's own trumpet, but what the hell...toot bloomin' toot!

I entered a global writing competition and have just recieved an email to say that I have been highly commended and have won a (very small) cash prize. There was only one first prize and one highly commended prize awarded.

The competition was judged by novelist Fiona Cooper and backed by prolific writer Bill Bryson! Wooohoo!


This is what Ms Cooper said of my piece, “This story moves with almost cinematic reality, scene by scene, painting a picture which spans many years. The inner fears and feelings of childhood are exquisitely captured and played out in a satisfying and compelling way.”  Woop woop!

Back to Earth now.

Library Plans:

Tonight I plan to be in the Jenny Lind by 7.30 and looking forward to meeting all those of you who have expressed interest in improving the library facilities and making sure that families are properly served when the new Children's Library is opened.

I am a firm believer in the power of stories and want our children to enjoy books in an exciting and inspiring environment.

I have spoken to Cllr Godfrey Daniel who has been campaigning long and hard to improve the library service in Hastings and he is keen to know how we get on. It's great to know we already have someone in the know on our side. Hopefully he will be able to attend a meeting with us in the future.

Ok, gotta fly now....I have a book to write you know!

Brilliant News! Hastings Library Plans!

Morning all, happy Sunday!

I don't know of any of you Hastings lovelies read the local Observer this week but the go ahead for refurbishment of the old library site has finally been agreed! 

This will include moving the children's library to the same site in Claremont, hurrah! It's such a beautiful building, I hope they do it justice.

Hastings Library

Initially I thought that maybe 'that's that then, they don't need us,' however, I do feel we still need to have a parents' forum (anyone actually who feels strongly) to ensure that our voice is listened to as far as appropriate facilities for family use. Historically these plans take forever with the council so we have plenty of time to be heard! 

I intend to have a casual meeting for those who want to get involved at The Jenny Lind in The Old Town (Hastings) this Monday, 9th January at 7.30pm. Please come along. If you need directions just holler! 


In other news, I have been cracking on with my entry to the writing competition and am beginning to feel as though I have story. I have written the draft for a first chapter and finding the voice of the book - so feeling pretty proud of myself.

Last but not least. My son is off to Afghanistan this weekend. If you say your prayers, please say one for him and his pals. 


Bless you x








Now it's good night from me and it's goodnight from....me. Goodnight.