Knocked Out – A Break in the Circuit

I have missed the last few weeks on the poetry circuit which is a great shame because I love Christmas Poetry Events and I also won’t see a lot of poets until 2015 now.

I have been on antibiotics for the past few weeks for something that could have become an abscess (I had a really nasty one a few years ago when I was still teaching full time – the antibiotics didn’t work and I ended up in minor surgery and several weeks off work), so I panicked when I woke up to find this.

Mr G and I have also had a house saga, 3 weeks without a working boiler or gas, no central heating or hot water! We have had engineers out several times but each time more faults, problems and parts were needed, eventually yesterday the roofers arrived – without scaffolding towers and basically I had men at work from 11 am until 6pm! The result was worth it HOT WATER and HEATING for the first time this month!

I have managed to get most of my Christmas shopping done, the decs are all up and the cards have been written (should have been posted 2 days ago), work has finished and I am celebrating with one last poetry event (final one before Christmas) tonight, which I am looking forward to. I will be performing at The Ort Spoken Word later on tonight.

I did manage the final Caldmore Workshop with David Calcutt. https://awritersfountain.wordpress.com/2014/12/19/caldmore-community-garden-workshop-with-poet-in-residence-david-calcutt/

I managed the last Writing West Midlands Writing Group of 2014, with a little slot of my own on writing poetry as well as my second mentoring session.

Here’s what was in my Writing Diary that I missed this month;

Mouth & Music – The Christmas one, Speakeasy – the Christmas party one and Bare Fiction Launch in Birmingham.

Yesterday I missed the final EVER Poetry For Lunch at the LoB (Library of Birmingham) because I had men here trying to mend our house all day. I am gutted that I missed this event as I was there at the very first one and have made as many as I was able to this year. Here are some pictures of the event.

Bernard Davies  Dave Barber

 Tessa Lowe

Birmingham City Council are facing some massive cut backs and aren’t able to continue this free poetry event that Jan Watts with the help of Charlie Jordan, Tessa Lowe and Andrea Smith has hosted this event weekly for a whole year. I have signed a petition against these cuts and will post a link here for you to do the same. The UK has suffered with many library closures and those that survive have faced massive cut backs.

https://awritersfountain.wordpress.com/2014/12/19/people-power-reverse-the-cutbacks-library-of-birmingham/

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION

 Mr G has been away this week – this is the first time ever he has been the one to leave and not be around, it has been strange and a little hard, but it is a transition into a new period of our lives. He is today, coming home for Christmas – I am excited!

Promises to Myself

Today I am collecting garden furniture and sorting out the lounge (unpacking etc.)

I am going to spend sometime visiting blogs.

I am going to catch up with the online writing course as I missed yesterday’s deadline.

I am going to write for the Slice of Life Challenge.

I am going to look at my research notes and build up the August Writing Schedule to keep myself on track.

There is a submission I have to complete by September that I am going to focus on.

I realise because of moving and having friends visiting I really haven’t managed much writing in the past few weeks. I have had my unintentional break and now I need to climb back on the writer’s chair. Chores can be blocked around the writing and so can unpacking and setting the house straight. I can only imagine how good it will feel by the time I am done!

I recognise I struggle with self-motivation, not working has that affect!

Today I promise to say goodbye to the procrastinating pixie and get on with my life.

I will use my time wisely and push on through the feeling of tiredness I seem to permanently exist within.

I will make these promises so that before I sleep tonight I will have written – I will slip into sleep knowing that I have had a day of achievements and tomorrow I will endeavour to do the same!

Make some promises to yourself today to fit the things in that really matter!

My Apartment Met the Market!

I have FINALLY handed keys to the Estate Agent and the sale of my apartment is now passed forward to them!
First time seller!

D.I.Y D Day

 Today I AM going to finish the jobs at the apartment and GET IT ONTO THE MARKET!

It costs a fortune to have it stand empty and I really can’t afford to not take ACTION!

It is the 1st Day of August – and I LOVE the month of AUGUST – possibly because I am a LEO and it is soon to be my birthday! (Whoahooo!) and this is my month of ACTION so I can rest and relax and play with the peace of mind that I have done all I can to change and support my life/lifestyle for the final seasons of the year!

D.I.Y … or if I am honest ANYTHING MANUAL is not my strong point – my mind and spirit are strong but I have weak arms and very little common sense!

I need to fix a few things and when I dropped in the other day I was concerned some of the new paintwork looked a bit patchy. So I am about to go over and see it in natural light! Ironically Mr G has decided on a whim to take half a day’s holiday as the weather is once again gorgeous and sunny (after a week of rainy, storms and cloudy skies) and I am not going to be in to enjoy the sunshine with him!

I should have gone to the flat yesterday but;

a) I was putting it off

b) I lacked the motivation to be DIY productive

c) I was still unpacking and sorting the KITCHEN (room 1 of 5 I need to sort – the rest are Mr G’s!)

d) It was rainy.

e) Needed to write 1000’s of words to finish NaNo

I regret that now – although it is possible I wouldn’t have put the hours in unpacking the house or managed my 20,000 word count!

 

 

 TODAY I have no choice, TODAY I am picking my mum up (she offered to help – there is a sign!) and I am going the 8 Miles back to the old home and finishing the job!

Then I am coming back and possibly getting some time in the garden – I have a deadline tomorrow that I haven’t started to write for (fortunately it is 100 words, unfortunately we all know that can be harder than 1000’s!) I need to try and do that this evening before going out.

Our friend, Amy who is visiting from Australia is also a LEO – her birthday is the 3rd, I am at a wedding and she has already made  alternative birthday plans for Saturday so tonight is her LAST big night out on the town with all of us and we are celebrating her birthday! I also have another function – which is a surprise so I won’t write any more – so I am hoping to maintain soft drink status, drive over to the surprise, stay a few hours, drive back and play catch up! I hate getting double bookings!

 

 

 

This is another reason why I NEED TO DO the flat today – as tomorrow I am bound to feel a dip in energy!

MR G and I plan another joint attack on the house tomorrow as he has booked another Friday off (I could get used to this!) It wouldn’t be possible if we had booked a holiday this summer!

© Copyright 2011 Leo Norrie

May not get to post and update more in the blog today as you can appreciate my hands will be in the toolbox (like I have one!) I have a multi head floral handled screw driver!

A Morning Ramble Vs. A Hike Around Camp

 The sun is shining – the sky is blue and cloudless, I have woken up 2 hours later than I had hoped (something to do with going to bed 2 hours later than I had planned!) I am meant to be at the apartment in DIY mode, to be honest I can barely keep my eyes open, there is a definite layer of ‘glaze’…
I have to be in work in 2 hours, if I went back to my old place now I would only have an hour and as it took me over 2 hours last night to do the windows, blinds and oven I don’t hold out much hope on pre-work DIY!

Which is great because I get to catch up online – my new writing course started Monday and I have only checked in twice and as yet not written a thing for it! The assignment is due next Monday. There was a critique group tomorrow that I was attending for the picture book group, there is also some sort of rally/march and the police have contacted groups and advised them to meet at a different location. Unfortunately I really don’t think I will be in a position to attend as there is so much to do, including now the DIY on my flat. I had planned to hand the keys over yesterday to the estate agent, to be fair I still need to find my energy certificate and I need to be a bit kind to myself I’m still working and juggling life! AND IT IS SO HOT I can only manage things slowly!

Tonight is the staff party/ leaving party for 5 of us, it’s a meal. However, Mr G and our friend who is staying over are off out to the bar, then cinema and then back for a night on the town. I am so tempted to say other things have come up – I have signed up as a no show before and it mattered – figure as I leave next week it may not matter so much. But I am the kind of person who sticks with the 1st commitment even if the 2nd option is world’s better!

I haven’t written for camp all week so I think I may make my 1st mission completing the first  short story and updating NaNoWriMo word count.
We also left the bathroom window open last night and have 3 moths that I am not sure how to get rid off – anyone know the best way to catch a moth and release it?

Off to read a couple of challenge posts before I fire up the offline computer and NaNo.

Happy Writing, Rambling and Hiking!

When the Apartment is Ready, I Will Write!

I have been blessed with a magic helper who worked really hard getting the apartment clean yesterday, so now I just need to do the windows, painting, some DIY (not looking forward to, very scared!) and blinds! 
The other good news is we think the downstairs apartment has sold, which means that there are now only 2 in my unit for sale and 1 other in the complex and I have had some interest shown in mine even though the estate agents are still waiting for keys.

I have woken later than I hoped and now have little time before work – and zero writing time – I am pushed to post and eat and wash!
I am hoping that it will take just 1 or maybe 2 more trips to finish the flat and then the keys can be handed over before the weekend! Yippee!

I haven’t managed any NaNo Writing since Saturday’s ‘Write In’, it was not my plan to be stuck having to produce 1000’s of words over the weekend but there you go – it will be a case of wherever I am my laptop comes too!  (Apart from possibly the leaving meal with work tomorrow night!) This week has gone FAR TOO quickly!

Write off to eat and leave!

When were the times in your life you were too busy to write?

I would love to hear tips on how you managed.

Another Jam Packed Day!

© 2013 Leo Norrie

I LOVE the summer – it is definitely my favourite season and it looks like FINALLY after a perpetual winter of 18 months or so we are being rewarded for the long wait!

HOWEVER, with the happiness of sunshine comes a influx of social engagements, deadlines, busy work periods and for me this year …change (by the bucketful!)

My main focus this week has to be getting my property ready to sell, I have arranged the marketing and estate agent at least. I need to search for an energy certificate that is in a home file that I had arranged to leave at the house which was then packed in any number of identical boxes. My packing was so erratic by the end that I was writing the room for the box and neglecting writing contents – regretting that now!

I am gradually unpacking our new home – not rushing – I know someone who moved last week and is practically unpacked already- he got help and was also a bit ill before his move! So had some organisational time from his sickbed!

My other focus is work, sorting references and forms and agencies for later on this year. Oh and of course working.

There is also something very exciting happening this week which is taking up a lot of time – and I wouldn’t wish it any other way but all this time is coming out of which schedule?! ….

MY WRITING SCHEDULE – I am feeling the fear of falling behind with Camp NaNoWriMo writing and yesterday started my new online writing course – which had no posts for the 6 hours I checked before work and now I have missed things which have closed on the forums and all sorts as my first log in is recorded today!

I may have less time to blog over the next few days too- bit hard when you’re armed with a paint roller! Hopefully tonight after work and tomorrow after a full day at work I will have time to clean the apartment and paint a small room and get my keys given in before Thursday! And by Saturday it WILL sell! 🙂 … and I will collapse! 😉

Right back off to the course and module 1 I have managed the orientation video and information now to do some learning and writing.