What do you mean, its almost Easter 2012???!

I can’t believe how long it’s been since my last post. I can only beg your humblest pardon and hope to post more frequently from now on.

My excuse, be it ever so poor, is that my time has been taken up with full time work, studying towards further qualifications in my personal time, learning to bake and then squeezing in as much reading as I can, interspersed with the odd bit of travel!

In the meantime I want to give my lovely niece a plug. She has started her own blog and is doing so well, she is even blogging and posting videos in another language. She has only just begun but it’s great and if you know Spanish, or want to practice it, please follow her and have conversations with her: http://estefaniahablaespanol.blogspot.com.au

Hasta luego!

 

I have a new blog for my other passion- classic TV programmes!

It has been a while since you’ve heard from me, and mainly that’s because on top of my working day, and trying to squeeze in as much reading as I can, I have also been studying.

So actually I was asked to create a blog for my study. In particular a blog on classic television programmes and to tell you the truth I was more than happy to, as I love the subject matter. I have posted my first entry today!

It would be a great help to me, and hopefully is of interest to you, to take a look at the blog, and share your thoughts and comment on the subject matter. Would be great to hear from people from all over on the subject of classic television programmes and remakes. The blog address is classictvguru.blogspot.com

I hope to hear from you there!

I think my cat is cheating on me

It’s true, I can’t deny it any more. Harley, my black and white 4-year-old rescue cat,  is seeing another woman. The signs are all there. He goes out till all hours, comes home late,  is no longer interested in cuddles and won’t jump on my lap for naps and belly scratching as he used to do.

He used to follow me everywhere, constantly rubbing against my legs which at times was the cause of some near fatal mishaps. We used to curl up together on the sofa watching some great romantic movies while the husband was located upstairs watching football. Harley doesn’t do that anymore. When he is at home he sleeps curled up in his covered cat bed, choosing to spend time alone and in the dark rather than spending it with us.

The biggest sign though, the absolute proof that he is being unfaithful to us, came today. Today he came home later than usual,  needing encouragement to come inside (when normally he runs home like a speeding bullet as soon as the sun sets).

When I picked him up to give him a cuddle, which once upon a time he used to beg for by standing on his back legs and stretching his paws up my leg, it hit me. Tears sprang to my eyes. Harley’s medium long black coat was shiny and smooth and very recently groomed, but not by me. Even more indicting – he smelled strongly of a woman’s perfume. An older woman.

Yes, Harley is straying. There is nothing I can do. My cat is definitely cheating on me.

 

What’s your desert island book?

During World Book Day I was asked what would be my desert island book. If I was to be whisked away to a tropical, exotic island without any external contact or communication, for an indefinite amount of time, what book would I take with me?

Books trigger memories for me, each one has a specific place, emotion or atmosphere associated with it that is evoked when I recall the story, or hold a copy in my hand… they have the same effect as music or scents. Each one is precious. (Well, most. I have read some duds with no value whatsoever!). Therefore leaving any behind is almost the same as leaving behind important parts of my life. I moved from Australia to the UK and I brought as many of my books with me as I could. I still mourn the ones I left behind.

I am a huge bibliophile and will devour most things put in front of me. When asked what my all-time favourite book is, I usually list about ten and my Top 10 book list usually has about one hundred books in it. With this in mind, I am sure you can understand how hard I found it to answer this question. I responded based on the idea that I had plenty of time to pack books. Being as my house is groaning from the weight of overloaded bookshelves it took me a little while to come up with books I couldn’t live without.

The list? It goes like this, in no particular order:

1. The Map of Love by Adhaf Soueif
2. Jane Eyre: the Complete Novels – Jane Austen
3. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams (I would try to include all his books)
4. Short History of Nearly Everything – Bill Bryson
5. Baghdad Without a Map – Tony Robinson
6. Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes (added bonus of also referencing 3 of my favourite poets: Keats, Shelley and Wordsworth)
7. Birth of Venus -Sarah Dunant
8. The Dragonrider series – Anne McCaffrey
9. The End of Mr Y – Scarlett Thomas
10. Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Nifenegger
11. Life of Pi – Yann Martel
12. Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
13. Out of Africa- Karen Blixen/ Isak Dinesen
14. Shadow of the Wind- Carlos Ruiz Zafon
15. Lost in a Good Book and all the Thursday Next series- Jasper FForde
16. Blackberry Wine- Joanne Harris
17. The Summer Tree (and the rest of the Fionavar Tapestry series) – Guy Gavriel Kay
18. 1984 – George Orwell
19. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis de Bernieres
20. The Shardlake series – C.J. Sansom
21. I would take my Amazon Kindle – its cheating, and it would only work for a few months with the wi-fi switched off, as that’s how long the battery lasts, (unless I can find a solar powered charger!)… but it means I could have 1000s more books at my disposal…and there are so many, many more!

As you see, I find it difficult to choose just one. I had to stop myself at twenty because it was in danger of becoming a list of every story that ever touched my life, which could end up being a very, very long list. I hadn’t even mentioned my childhood books.

So if I had to try and narrow it down to one? Well, it would have to be something that could keep my interest for a long time, so probably something that would teach me about the world around me, and which I would enjoy re-reading. Maybe something like Brian Cox’s “Why does e=mc2?” or Stephen Hawking’s “Grand Design”; Bill Bryson’s “A Short History of Nearly Everything” could be a contender…Can I narrow it down to one?

I just couldn’t, it’s a horrifying notion.

Who would you invite to your dinner party?

It’s an age-old question that has been asked for years in dinner parties around the world. There are those that scoff at this as a conversational crutch. But is it really that inane a question? I find it fascinating to find out who people would invite into their homes. I believe it gives great insight to a person’s interests, beliefs and values, especially when your friend tells you why they wanted to invite Deeta von Teese (whom you never knew they had a thing for) and they might surprise you when they give reasons for inviting Richard Nixon or Lenin. You achieve greater insight about friends, family and acquaintances if you allow historical and long dead figures to be included on the invite list.

So with that in mind, and assuming all partygoers would somehow be able to speak in a common language – lets say English – who would I invite to a dinner party and why?

Well, it’s a long list! Bearing in mind that you never get 100% attendance, I would invite a few more than I could comfortably accommodate.

1. Stephen Fry – for obvious reasons: intelligent, funny, full of interesting anecdotes, and I think a man who feels things deeply. No shortage of good conversations there!
2. Bill Bryson – again, intelligent, a great traveller with keen interest in the history of humanity and our planet, and a chronicler of people and anecdotes. I can’t imagine the conversation ever getting boring or drying up!
3. Professor Brian Cox – incredibly intelligent, a modern man, inspirational, passionate about some of my greatest loves- astronomy, physics, travelling, something sweet about him, funny and easy on the eye. My modern day hero. A must have dinner companion.
4. Charles Darwin – an amazing man, made a huge difference to our lives and our understanding of our planet, and yet in his later days a hermit and recluse. Curiosity drives this invitation, as well as a deep admiration. Conversations discussing how he came about his theories and his voyages would be fascinating.
5. Sir Isaac Newton – another world changing man whom I would love to bombard with questions and bathe in his brilliance!
6. Sir David Attenborough- another intelligent, fascinating man with a wealth of experience and knowledge, and a great story teller.
7. Meryl Streep- someone whom I think would be charming, intelligent, pasionate about her interests and a good conversationalist. An actress I admire, not least because she was a brilliant actress in two of my favourite movies (I have a few!) : Out of Africa and Bridges of Madison County
8. On the subject of Madison County, Clint Eatswood would also be on my guest list. What an interesting life he has led. I would like to ask him more about his days as Carmel’s Mayor, and more about his early days in film as well as his most recent. A fascinating person and most likely have some fabulous anecdotes and quips.
9. Alex O’Laughlin – currently in the TV re-make of Hawaii Five O, and before that in the vampire tv series “Moonlight”. This is where I begin to add a bit more variety to the guest mix. One of the younger guests, we share similar ages and homeland, grew up in the same city, and that’s where my knowledge ends. I know little about him except that he would definitely add a spark , and dare I say it, some levity and eye candy! I would defintely ask him whom he would invite to a dinner party, to get to know more about him!
10. Cate Blanchett- an enigmatic actress, hailing from my homeland, and I greatly respect her for the roles she plays. I think there would definitely be good conversational value there.
11. George W. Bush – yes, you read correctly! I mean the son! Purely for comic value…
12. Oh dear, yes I admit it, I would invite Tony Blair, ex-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. irrespective of anybody’s politics, he has been in some interesting situations and has often been a major player in pivotal points of our recent history. I would want to delve into many of those situations to find out what really happened, (in a polite and convivial manner, after all it is a dinner party). He would undoubtedly be adept at the art of conversation and would not exclude anyone from his conversation, being a diplomat and politician!
13. Queen Noor of Jordan – I read her biography once while I was waiting for a plane at an airport. It gave me a new view on women’s roles in the Middle East , my view on what women were like there had been so stereotyped before then, as I had little else to go on. I admire her strength and character. With Queen Noor amongst the mix, more interesting conversations between our guests would no doubt ensue.
14. Socrates- the ancient Greek philosopher- for great deep and meaningful conversations- no doubt would cause a bit of friction and controversy between opposing points of view amongst partygoers- wonderful!
15. Akhenaten – the heretic pharoah of 18th Dynasty New Kingdom Ancient Egypt. he would answer some fundamental questions I have had since I studied Egypt at University: What did he REALLY look like, what was Nefertiti’s role, and what happened to them? Why did he really follow the controversial route he chose?
19. His ancestor Pharaoh Khafra from the 4th Dynasty would also receive an invite, and to him I would pose the questions – “How did you really build your pyramid?” and “Did you really carve the sphinx? How old is the sphinx really?”
21. Botticelli- my favourite painter – so much to ask him about the times he lived in, and the model that was his inspiration.
22. Leonardo da Vinci- all those inventions that he came up with- what fascinating topics of conversation.
23. Becoming more a soiree than a dinner party now, I could not go by without inviting Bono Vox of U2. Someone I have admired for years. I would ask him to do a spot for us, where he would sing with the amazing, powerful voice that was his trademark in the 80s and 90s. I am sure he would do it with good grace…!

I have many more on my “reserve list”, those who I wouldn’t want to spend too much time with but for whom I have a lot of questions…I think I shall leave those for another time!

So, would you come to my dinner party, and who would you invite to yours?

Bank holiday weekend

My birthday falls on this bank holiday weekend so wisely, or not, my husband and I decided to go to the Brighton coast to celebrate. Well we are currently on the M25 in England and while it’s been a slow start – getting onto the motorway was a chore – things seem to be a little smoother now. I say this with caution as things can change at any moment.
Just in case, I have come prepared for a long journey – I have healthy snacks and bottles of water as well as an iPhone full of my favourite podcasts – astronomy cast and Prof Brian Cox’ CERN podcast – lots of music, plus TV series Wonders of the Solar System and my all time favourite movie Contact, should we be stuck for hours. I can’t read while in a car – I suffer from car sickness if I try so the iPhone has given me a fantastic solution to mundane hours spent in a car in a traffic jam. Luckily my husband doesn’t mind me putting on my podcasts through the car radio – occasionally!
I have also brought my writing notebook as my latest story is really starting to take shape. I just need to do a bit more research with regards to the universe, talk to a few experts and I should be well underway to creating an interesting new reality. Well, interesting to me anyway, which is all I aim for now! I am very excited about this storyline and my characters. I hope I do them justice.
Of course it goes without saying that I also have bought a new book to read. The first of the Maria V Snyder Opal Cowan ‘Glass’ series. I loved her Poison Study trilogy so I have great hopes for this next series.
My birthday weekend is shaping up to be the kind of celebration that only a geek like me could enjoy – lots of learning on my areas of passion, reading and writing with some wining and dining with Husband thrown in, and the obligatory trek to some historical buildings/ areas and walks along the coast and a spot of shopping. I am so excited. Here’s hoping the motorways behave!

Writing and Blogs – My Shame

OK, I know I haven’t posted anything in a while. The truth of the matter is, my blog has been a victim of the London commute. It seems the only time I get a chance to write my blog these days is the few times I have been on a train on the way to, or returning from meetings, courses, exhibitions. It’s a great way to use up time which I would otherwise spend reading (not that there is anything wrong with that, I love reading on trains, in fact anywhere). The problem has been when I go to save or update my work on my iPhone, it always happens to be just as I encounter an Orange signal black spot, and somehow, rather than keeping everything I have written as a local draft, it just disappears into the ether somewhere never to be found or recovered again. It doesn’t even make it to my blog so I really am at a loss as to what happens to it. Nothing on my iPhone either. This is particularly frustrating because they happen to have been my best writing and reviews yet. I promise you, you would have loved it, or at least found it mildly relevant, perhaps even witty. Why? Because for some reason I find it easy to zone out on the train and concentrate on just this. No other distractions. Perhaps I should make a habit of travelling around the countryside on trains, never getting off, never looking out the window, just writing and making social commentary on my fellow passengers as appropriate – without being derogatory of course. That’s not my bag. I could even ramp it up and include writing my novel on the train, maybe finally get it finished in record time, and the other passengers could be my muses, my character and event inspiration.

Then it occurred to me. I am making excuses. If I can zone out on the train then I can zone out at home. All I have to do is be disciplined. I can do it when I work from home, why can’t I do it when I am creative writing? I need to lock myself away instead of trying to write in the front room with the television on, no more sitting in communal spaces where my husband can always find a reason to distract me from my writing – do my share of chores, friends to call or visit, dinner to help with, family duties to take care of and gardens which need tender loving care. The truth is, locking myself away when my house is not empty feels like I am being socially ostracised, like I may be missing out on something. The fact that it is through my own choice makes it easier for me to keep putting off the writing. I am the victim of my own nosiness and curiosity, my need to be a part of a social group, and unfortunately my need to create something wonderful, something I can leave behind for the enjoyment of others, just doesn’t have as stong a motivational pull at the moment.

It will come though, I know it will. I just need an impetus, a reason to knuckle down and then all the ideas floating around my head will come pouring out again into something that will be my magnum opus…though I will settle for a finished novella at this point!

If you have any exercises you use or any tips on how I can regain my lost momentum and motivation, I would love to hear it. How do you push yourself to write, what do you do to make yourself sit and concentrate?

Why is sitting down to finish writing a story so difficult?

I don’t mean the very short, ten page type of story. They are often quick and satisfying to write, they come upon you on an inspiration and you write frantically, not stopping until that final sentence has been reached -the one that pulls it all together and makes you feel elated, like you have achieved something wonderful. Which you have, no one will deny that.

The kind of story I always have trouble with is the sort of story that I envision as a novel, or a series of novels. I have the plot structure- or at least a framework, I know how I want it to begin, I know the characters (well, most of them), how I want them to feel, to behave, what the inter-character dynamics will be, and how I want it to end, but to get to the end, there has to be a whole middle bit that I just don’t know how to fill. It doesn’t matter how often I try to write a chapter by chapter synopsis.

So currently I am only at my 62nd A4 size typed page and I am in danger of giving up. It’s not so much that I don’t have ideas, it’s more that I am at a loss of how to portray the emotions and significance convincingly. How to make my story mean something deep and honest. What I am most afraid of is that I will let myself and my characters down. They have already achieved great emotional meaning to me. I love them. I often think about them, especially my two central characters, but how can I transpose the life they have in my head to paper without them coming across as one dimensional and trivial? I want others to come to love them as I have. How do I turn day dream stories and characters into a written version and still ensure they retain their integrity? I always thought myself to be a decent creative writer. Lately I have been doubting myself.

Fear is what is holding me back and right now it’s winning the struggle.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

This book was a joy to read. I had no expectations other than to be transported to another time and place – a pretty big expectation actually – and Howe’s book definitely did that.

The story revolves around a girl who has great academic career aspirations, she succeeds in her trials and gains a world-famous and respected mentor. Things are looking up until the day she discovers an old scrap of parchment and a key in an antique bible within her deceased grandmothers house. The quest to understand its meaning turns into a quest to understand herself and her roots, as well as the nature of the world around us, and a race to save the life of her new-found boyfriend.

A great book set in Salem present and the Salem of old. I loved that the book really told the tale of a whole Salem bloodline. The way the story jumps between times, bringing Deliverance and her descendants to life really vividly, whilst showing us that human nature has its inherent evil, and its redeemable good qualities, makes it a very involving plot line.

Great atmosphere and well worth a read. I finished The Physick Book if Deliverance Dane it in two evenings I got so involved in it.

Crazy Covers- romance

I stumbled across another contender for my books with crazy marketing today.

This one has a title which had me giggling for ages. “The Future King’s Love-Child”…I wonder whether this title actually helped sell the book?

I guess you wouldn’t be under any misapprehension as to the subject matter!

Oh, and the cover is pretty cheesy too – reminiscent of the 1980s and Dynasty!