innisfree 22 May 2010
The 25th birthday lunch for Innisfree Housing Association was just great…and, of course, far too giddy and good a time was had by some hardcore partyers, including Yours Truly. It led to a lovely early night though and plenty of sleep. we repaired to the Crown pub in Cricklewood which is very famous indeed – used to be the pick-up point for builders’ workers down through the years and there’s a rumour that Ralph McTell wrote THE STREETS OF LONDON there as well as various other writers penning ditties in that very fine hostelry.
I had a major dream about getting a TINY kitten which I was carrying around in a paper bag – black with white socks and 2 very odd front teeth – then arranging to go get a few more…but it’s was just a dream and I awoke catless…
Later today I am being brought on an adventure in a boat by my brother and sis-in-law – after a bit of sunning in their back garden…good times…
housing 20 May 2010
I am looking forward to having a celebratory lunch in Cricklewood tomorrow. The reason is that INNISFREE housing association is having a significant birthday and I am SO proud of being associated with that organisation. These days you have to be careful to be targeting only one tranche of the community and I get that BUT INNISFREE usually tried to help the disadvantaged Irish over the years – but, hey, and here’s the thing: every community mixes with the next so the work can still continue while embracing so many more people. Happy Birthday!
nails 19 May 2010
i don’t know bout youse all but i find banging a nail into a wall and hanging a picture thereupon a VERY satisfying exercise. today i did some such stuff and it was great. i now have less naked wall and more of the things i like to peruse as i, say, climb the stairs. reclaiming the house a little still although the builders are gone (IMAGINE!)
The only downer is that i had grown my fingernails and today had cause to EAT THEM so libby croker’s nails will be a tad short next week…
not sure st john’s wort is the one for me – don’t think it’s doing really well without sunshine in tandem…
ITV 18 May 2010
EEK, for got to say that I am on LOOSE WOMEN today…meant to update Forthcoming Events ages ago and didn’t and now will be doing it in retrospect which kind of makes a mockery of the description ‘Forthcoming’. The devil is indeed in the detail, and said devil seems to have had his merry way with my calendar of events and the announcing of same – BAD devil…ineffectual Pauline…what a combo!
buffalo 17 May 2010
The train journey from Aberdeen to Edinburgh is quite lovely and takes in a good deal of coast – and I loves a bit of sea, me. But I also got to see quite a bit of wild and tamed life – pheasants, a rabbit, a young deer, lots of ornery farm animals (including those small very hairy cows – or coos, whichever you wanna go with) and BUFFALO! I kid you not, someone had a small herd of bison/buffalo somewhere by the train tracks. They looked very happy indeed.
tedious 16 May 2010
It was wonderful to talk to the good folk of Aberdeen and the WORD festival, celebrating its 10th birthday, is a wonderful event. The city was looking lovely – the sun shone, which i am told is not all that regular so I took credit for bringing it with me…I also got to see my eldest god daughter and her beauteous daughter and lovely husband. It did me the world of good too to talk about the writing work – I have such a fear of being pretentious in any way that I sometimes stop myself from dwelling on it or talking much about it to others so when a forum for that is in place it’s just great. For a few hours I felt like I knew something and had information to share with others and it staved off the Black Dog awhile too. A lot of the depression, I think, is my age and the wondering if anything will ever be QUITE good enough (including myself) classic low self esteem – it’s perpetual and probably very annoying to be around, a bit like the frickin ashcloud. I nearly got stranded in Edinburgh as my flight to Dublin was cancelled (not sure why as the airports involved were both open and going to be open too when it was to take off). SO I have stayed on the train and will hit London’s Town later – I feel a walk from Soho to Stockwell coming on because exercise, particularly outdoors, is helpful right now.
Both Richard and myself remembered the FAR AND AWAY story at the same time – all it is is that the last time I saw a film of ROBIN HOOD was when we were filming in America and Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman bought out a cinema one night for a showing of the Kevin Costner version and treated us all to popcorn etc also. When Sean Connery came on there was a bit of an ‘industry’ giggle in the house as he seemed to be turning up EVERYWHERE just then…
the way of it 15 May 2010
Here’s the way of it right now – I promised a proper ‘life blog’ yesterday and had a great story to tell that I asked Richard to remind me of (something to do with FAR AND AWAY the movie) but between one thing and another it has disappeared into the mists of last night and refuses to be recalled. I may have some sort of brainfart later that casts it up and, if I do, ye’ll be the first to hear it. It is so indicative of my life now – I cannot seem to retain much of ordinary events, just living. And since I delivered the proofread novel I can feel the Black Dog stalking again…so, I have too much time to think, but cannot seem to hang on to any of the ideas except the bad ones. I keep waiting for the sky to fall…This year is an odd one, and I know I’m not the only one to feel that – it seems to be a very general malaise for many that I know or meet.
Am having a low fat hot chocolate in Waverley station, Edinburgh, waiting for my train to Aberdeen and trying to get a bit happy again. Actually, talking to the good folk of the Granite City should help and it’ll keep me on the move…
aberdeen 14 May 2010
I’ll be in Aberdeen tomorrow at the WORD festival – book talk at 2 in the University and a showing with a q and a session of ANGELA’S ASHES at 6 in the Belmont Picturehouse – hope to see some of you there!
will do more proper ‘life report’ later but thought you’d all like to know this info now…
proof 13 May 2010
I am proofing the typeset of the novel. What I should be doing is whizzing my eye over the text to check for howlers BUT in a nice, though time consuming twist, I find I am reading the dern thing and really enjoying it. And yes, therefore it’s taking a lot longer than it might. However it has GOT to be gone to the publishers this afternoon so I must lash myself to it now.
Like an idiot last night when I got tired going over it, instead of going to bed I found myself in a reverie playing with my hair. It’s longer now than it has been for quite a while but could really do with a trim so it’s also therefore great fun split-endwise – hours of fun and snipping and pulling and chewing and makig matters worse and, crucially, NOT GOING TO BED and, so, VERY TIRED for book work today….idiot!
end 11 May 2010
And as one series of SHAMELESS ends tonight another is about to begin. We had our first readthrough today, 5 of the 22 episodes, and you are all in for a treat next season is all I’ll say!
In the airport on the way to Dublin (I have the typeset manuscript now – my last look over the novel before it goes to print – and must check all BY THURSDAY!!! so best to beat a retreat I thought and not go carousing) one group of people recognised Mrs Doyle and another saw Libby – I’ll take all it, thank you very much, how lucky am I…though it’s always a tad more flattering when Libby is mentioned…