Tag Archives: back to school

Of Blackberries and Back To School

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IMG_3404The gorgeous girl started back at school today. I know, it’s odd to start back on a Friday, but that’s how the school has chosen to schedule it this year (I think we get an extra day off somewhere else). And it’s kind of nice, in a way. Only one day at school means that, after the shock of an early start this morning, we then have the weekend to recover and get ready for the week ahead. And it wasn’t so bad. We even left the house early – though a blister from the new school shoes meant our walk was a bit slower than usual.

IMG_3389And now I miss her. I know I write about this every time she goes back to school, but it’s true. For me the end of summer holidays is bittersweet. I miss the golden days, the feeling of having no schedule and nowhere particular to be. I miss the time spent with her, because I know that next summer she will be different, and the older she gets the less likely it is she’ll want to hang out with me. Ever since she started school I’ve felt this way. Still, I count my blessings and get on with things.

And I do have a lot to get on with. Work needs to pick up again, so I will be getting back to writing and pitching and formatting, getting my next book ready to publish. There’s promotion and scheduling and all that stuff, plus catching up with my bloggy pals and seeing what you’ve all been up to over the summer.

IMG_3412So what have I done today, on my first day alone since July? I went blackberrying. I do this every year, and usually make a big batch of jam then freeze the leftover berries, perfect for crumbles and cheesecakes through the winter months. And I did well. I took four containers with me, which I thought was a bit optimistic, but honestly, I could have filled a couple more. The berries were huge, hanging in clusters almost like grapes and falling into my hands. I have the first batch of jam on the go right now, the rest of the berries washed and bagged and into the freezer.

So. This is a bit of a rambling post, but it’s been a bit of a rambling day, wandering the country lanes. I’m away this weekend, then Monday will see me back to work. Looking forward to it!

And what have you been up to? Is it back to school in your world? Or are you simply lamenting the end of summer? Happy weekend, everyone 🙂

The Turning of the Year

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It’s the last day of school holidays.

Autumn beckons, though no doubt we’ll have several weeks of warmth and brilliant sunshine once the kids have gone back to school. And I am having the slight wobble I do at this time of year, as the wheel turns and my daughter goes into a new year.

I’ve written about this before, how empty the house feels when she goes back, how much I miss her. Despite all the dancing orangutans and minions and Keep Calm posters showing up on my Facebook feed, extolling various joyous captions about ‘the kids going back to school!’, I don’t really feel that way.

And yet.

There is a delicious sense of freedom that first day back, coming home to a quiet house, the hours stretching before me to work uninterrupted. For I have a lot of work to do. Yesterday my editor sent me the final edit of No Quarter, the next book in my Ambeth series. It’s just sitting in my Writing folder like an unopened gift, waiting for me to delve into the pages and make final adjustments before hitting Publish and sharing it with the world.

Front Cover Image

So there is a lot of planning to do, some promotion and finalising the cover, updating Goodreads and Amazon, getting in touch with libraries and reviewers to let them know it’s being published.

The spreadsheet documenting my daughter’s summer social activities* will come down from the study wall, to be replaced with a marketing schedule for my new book, and a list of term dates as we count down to the next precious days we get to spend together.

And I will turn my focus back to work, the balance swinging to the other side of the page.

*yes, I had to do a spreadsheet, after missing an arranged ‘date’ with a friend – it’s the only way I could manage it. The child has a better social life than I do! 🙂