Tag Archives: holidays

Unpacking

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I’m back 🙂

Been back a few days now, not quite a week. The suitcases are up in the loft, and I’m gradually emerging from under the approximately 7923 emails and 278 loads of washing (it’s amazing how much a family can fit into three medium sized suitcases).

It’s nice to be home, as it always is, the house welcoming, although I miss the sunny skies and sea of the Basque country – my home is too far from the ocean for my liking these days. I’ve travelled a bit in my life, as you may have noticed, and you would think, therefore, that I would be a dab hand at packing. The kind of person who can throw in a few key pieces and have enough outfits for three weeks and any occasion. Sadly, that’s not the case. Although I’m better at it than I was, I still somehow manage to pack several items I don’t need at all, while leaving other items I do need at home. Invariably I open my case at the other end and wonder what I was thinking when I packed, my carefully chosen outfits all seeming completely wrong, what seemed like a sensible amount of things at home somehow multiplying into far too much for the time I’m away.

However, I’m a dab hand at unpacking. Pull, sort and dispose of, either into the laundry basket or back into the cupboard. As for the rest of it, the memories of cliff bound beaches, misty coastlines and turreted houses, that will take a little longer to unpack. There are photos to download and definitely a few Wednesday Wanders to write. I did get to Dragonstone, visiting both locations used in Season Seven, and they were absolutely spectacular. I ate and drank and enjoyed time with family, danced in blue waves and wandered cobbled streets. It was fab.

So forgive me if I take a little while to get back into the swing of things again. It’s lovely to be home 🙂

30 Day Writing Challenge – Day Nineteen – Walk Away

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img_2025So, it’s day nineteen of the 30 Day Writing Challenge, and today’s prompt is: Walk Away.

I’m starting to wonder why I chose to undertake a thirty day blogging challenge during one of the busiest times of the year. A time where there are lunches and dinners and drinks, shopping and cooking and work and trying to get everything done before the kids break up from school. Oh, I’m not complaining – this is a fabulous time of year and I enjoy it very much. Today, for example, I went to lunch at a friend’s house. She had a whole group of people there and the theme was ‘Disney Christmas.’ So, me being me, I did Star Wars – bundled my hair up like Rey’s and wore combat-style trousers with a low-slung belt and my Star Wars Christmas jumper. Not full-on cosplay, but enough of a nod to the idea that I would fit in if everyone really went for it and dressed up, but not so much that I’d stand out if they didn’t. And it was a lovely afternoon. Most people did really go for it with costumes, we did the mannequin challenge, and when we pulled our crackers out fell little bottles of Baileys and Grey Goose Vodka. Good food, good company, and a generous host – lovely.

But it has left me feeling very relaxed and not at all disposed to sitting at the computer and, you know, actually working. Which brings me around to my original point of wondering why I chose to take this challenge at this time of year. I could just give up, I suppose. Walk away, even. But that’s not really my style. When I start something, I like to see it through to the end. I’m not one to walk away from a challenge.

If only I could think of something to write about…

😉

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 🙂

Summer Daze, Part II

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IMG_0305Hello everyone! Summer is flying past and the gorgeous girl is back at school next week, which I cannot believe – where have the days gone?

I know I’ve been quiet on the blog front (again) this past week, though I haven’t been completely absent. The lovely Suzie, over at SuzieSpeaks, reblogged one of my posts this past weekend, which was a welcome boost – thanks, Suzie! And Lucy over at BlondeWriteMore included my in her list of What Writers Wear When Writing, taken from her excellent author interviews. Apparently when asked, I said I wore something ‘cool and glamorous.’ Well, I wish I could tell you that black track pants and a red Miffy t-shirt are cool and glamorous, but I think I must have been joking, or unusually well-groomed, when she asked me 😀

IMG_3144And so what have I been up to? I spent part of the weekend helping out with our dojo refurbishment. This is a fairly traditional part of martial arts – our dojo is a timber framed building in a private garden and, once a year, the adult students contribute their time and effort to sprucing it up for the coming winter. I was on measuring, then painting duties, and it was nice to see my fellow students again after our summer break.

IMG_3157I’ve also been hanging out with the gorgeous girl, taking her out for the day yesterday, having lunch and visiting shops, plus enjoying some art, craft and history at St Albans Cathedral. Today was more of a mundane at-home day, making sure we have everything ready for school next week, then a last-minute trip out to make the most of the glorious summer weather we’re having at the moment.

Oh, and writing? What’s that? Just kidding. I’ve now completed my edit on A Thousand Rooms, and am working up a launch strategy for the next month or two. ATR is quite a different read from my Ambeth books, aimed at an adult audience rather than YA, though with my usual twist of fantasy. Silver and Black is also calling to me, the manuscript rattling around in its digital drawer, so I know I need to look at that soon. There’s been a song in my mind this past little while, to the point where I ended up downloading it to Itunes – it’s an older song, but there is a vampire connection (no, it’s not by Muse), and it seems to me that the song will feature in Silver and Black.

I’m hoping to get a few more posts up this week, as well as make the rounds to see what everyone else has been up to. I’d also like to welcome some more new blog followers – thanks so much for choosing to come on the journey with me! And finally, I’ve been having fun with Instagram – I’ve been on there for a while and never done anything with it, now all at once I’m hooked. So if you want to find me on there, I’m helenejones33 – hope to see you!

And that’s about all for today. The sun is setting, last golden glow in a turquoise and purple sky outside my window. I think it might be time for a cuppa, and maybe a bit of reading, before bed. Hope you’re all having a wonderful summer – let me know in the comments what you’ve been up to!

Summer Daze

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IMG_2405Hi everyone! Just a quick update to say hello. I’ve not been around much in blogworld these past couple of weeks, as summer holidays are here plus we’re doing (another) renovation so I’ve not had a lot of time to spend online recently. I also want to welcome a whole bunch of new followers to the blog – thanks so much for choosing to come on the Journey with me 🙂

The other reason I’ve not been around as much is that, when I do get some computer time, I’m busy working on a couple of books. A Thousand Rooms has come back from the lovely Esther Newton, so I’m now doing the final edit on that. Plus the fourth Ambeth book, Under Stone, is written but there are a few structural things still to sort out. And, even though Silver and Black is officially ‘resting’ at the moment, it’s still speaking to me, little notes and ideas popping up that need to be recorded and addressed. And finally, I’m working on a couple of shorter pieces too.

I’ll pop in and out of blogs as much as I’m able to at the moment, so please forgive me if I’m not as present as usual. Oh, and I hope you’re all enjoying a lovely summer (or, in the case of my Aussie friends, a nice winter).

Big Magic

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Double rainbow from my back garden...

I’ve finished reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic. Literally – I just finished reading it a few minutes ago.

It’s the first day of the school holidays, the child still asleep, the husband gone to work and so I had some precious time to finally, finally address the pile of ‘to read’ books sitting next to my bed. I added the luxury of tea and toast brought up to bed, plus an extra pillow behind my head, and settled in to read the last few chapters.

I have been reading the book for a while – I purchased it on our recent trip to the Canada and US West Coast, but the pace of the vacation was such that I didn’t get as much time to read as I had thought. Then when we came back life took over as it does,  and so reading time was pushed to the bottom of the list.

However, Big Magic had already started to resonate with me. I’d recommended it to several people already, even though I hadn’t finished it, including Lucy over at Blondewritemore. I’d had several ‘wow’ moments, when the words I was reading seemed to echo and validate my own thoughts about the creative process, especially the idea of creating because it’s what you do, not for any desired end result. Just do the work and get it out there. Let it go.

I also believed in the idea of Big Magic, that ideas come from somewhere ‘beyond.’ It’s something I’ve always believed, that the stories coming to me were born somewhere else, just waiting for me to unwrap their layers and transfer them to the page.

And so now I am done. And I will say this: read this book. Whether you are a writer, an artist, a musician, a computer programmer, an avid gardener, a trainspotter, whatever. If you have an interest in your life, or if you are seeking the pathway to find what interests you, this book may well change your perspective and set you free to pursue what it is that makes you tick.

Big Magic indeed.

 

Of Doors and Getting Back Into Things

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I’ve just come back from holidays. Oh, very nice, you might say – and you’d be right 🙂

At the same time, it was a busy couple of weeks. No sitting around on beaches – instead we had a planes-trains-and-automobiles type trip starting in Vancouver, Canada and ending in Cambria, California, taking in the sights of Seattle, San Francisco and Monterey before heading to a family wedding on the coast.

I’ve written before about how being away can make a big difference, and so I have found it to be again. In June this year I had pretty major surgery, and the recovery process took quite a while. I also published my second book, upped my blog output and was training fairly regularly in a variety of different exercises, as I’m of the use-it-or-lose-it school of thought when it comes to staying active. Since my surgery I had been easing back into my usual life, so taking a break has let me see where I could make some more positive changes to my regular routine. I’m also part way through Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic, and it’s certainly given me food for thought about how I conduct my creative life and what I expect from it.

I’ll be writing more about my trip over the next little while, including a post about the fact that I really, really dislike flying, plus a few other ideas that have been percolating in my mind. For now, I’ll leave you with this picture of a rather gorgeous door that I took in Cambria – perfect for Hugh’s News and Views latest Photography Challenge – Thursday Doors.

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And thank you to everyone who stayed in touch and kept up with my blog while I was away – much appreciated! xx

A quick update: Hugh from Hugh’s News and Views very kindly let me know that the door challenge isn’t his – it’s actually Norman Frampton’s, from Norm 2.0, and the link to his challenge post for today is here. So pop on over and check out his door, and add your own if you feel like it!