My blog is up today on Kate Walker‘s Great Big Blog Party to celebrate her 50th published book!

I’m talking about places I’ve written, so go see and leave a comment for a chance to win a lovely harback book of Lake District views.

Blogging these days is the typed equivalent of opening your mouth to say something and finding nothing comes out…

 So, with no particular order or meaning, here are the top ten random thoughts of the day.

 1)  You can’t moan about the weather when you’re just cold and damp.  You CAN however, moan about the weather when your home is under several feet of water.  Ugly.

2)  Pippi is grounded.  She went awol for 24 hours (this in a 100% non-roaming cat).  When she approached the front door this morning, looking like she was going to ask to go out, I yelled, “YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME!”, she turned 180 and skulked off to the litter trays instead.  She’s a smidge subdued – we’re thinking locked in someone’s shed.

3)  Minnie’s relieved.  You see, when you lose the Top Cat, there tends to be a bit of a pecking order reshuffle.  Minnie would have been in line for Top Cat, but you can tell she wasn’t up for it.  I think she was terrified she’d have to assume some responsibility, rather than go through life apologising for tiptoeing through it…

4) I’m obsessed with Dean Robillard from my latest Susan Elizabeth Phillips purchase.  I have no interest in sports or sports heroes whatsoever.  But I’m obsessed with Dean Robillard.  How did that happen?

5)  I haven’t planned my talk or workshop for July 14th.  I could do it in a day.  But it’s finding the day.  I think about that occasionally, go, “Eeeeep!” and stop thinking about it.  Shame on me.

6)  I need cake.

7)  My postcards (in lieu of bookmarks, which became too complicated) arrived yesterday.  They’re pretty nice, for a design-at-home-having-no-idea-what-I’m-doing project.  Quite pleased.

8)  It should be too long before I have a cover.  Pause…   I think I need to go and be sick, now.

9)  Tomorrow I’m going to have a lie-in.  Pippi will probably curl up on the pillow next to my head, Minnie will weigh down my hip or lower back, and Cleo and Chrissy will fight (literally) for the space between my ankles.  Since I left the house at 7.30am this morning, and won’t get back to it until gone 11pm tonight, I think I deserve that lie-in.

10)  I really, really, really have to sort out my blogroll. 

You know, when trying to describe Life After Selling, the word that springs to mind most often is, Bizarre.

I hope, to be honest, that I’ll never quite get used to the idea of Anna Louise Lucia The Author.  The little fizz of delighted unreality about it is too, too enjoyable.

In this limbo between selling and actually holding my book in my sticky mits (pause to consider that, put head between knees, and try not to hyperventilate) there’s so many things I’ve been doing that feel like so much incredibly precocious bravado. 

Getting postcards printed, complete with author photo, little tagline, my website details and blurbs.  Buying a laptop because I want to invest in my writing.  Heck, having a website at all!  And then there’s those occasions when someone asks for volunteers to talk or do workshops about writing, and I feel myself squashing that little voice going, oh not ME, they wouldn’t be interested in MY story, and putting my name down.

 Take this, for example – The Write Read.  A Readers’ and Wrtiers’ day, part of the Pure Passion promotion.

Yes, that’s me.  One of those, “some of the best writers….”  I mean, honestly.  You’ve gotta laugh, haven’t you?

Then you’ve gotta cry, because I haven’t written my talk OR my workshop yet.

I think it boils down to this:  However apparently squishy, panicky and emotional I am, I’m just a smidge stubborn and capable of summoning just a little nerve.

Okay.  A LOT stubborn and a LOT of nerve.

I’m rather enjoying it.

Some things never change.

I’m one of those tiresome writers who were born, not made.  Although I then spent years learning craft and markets and attempting to hold on to some humility (and still do).

When visiting The Parentals recently, some of my old school reports came to light.  Reading my report for English, I really had to laugh.  I’ve bolded the statements that still hold true…

Anna’s efforts have to be judged against the highest standards, and even by this measure she is doing very well.  Written work displays wit, style and maturity and she has experienced very few problems whilst learning to write literature essays.  Her poetic writing has developed particularly well and shows an ability to handle language with precision.  Thankfully, she has also learned how to be concise and creat a great deal of effect in a very short piece!

Orally, Anna is confident and articulate (ie, I never shut up), but she is also willing to listen to her peers and to take their views seriously.  I only wish she would listen to instructions so well and can only be grateful that these days she reads her book on the desk rather than beneath it while I explain tasks (still guilty).

Anna reads a lot, although I am a little concerned that the range is not always very wide (true – back then: Sci Fi and Fantasy.  Now:  romance).  She needs to start taking more risks and attempting unfamiliar genres.  Her Open Study will, I am sure, be excellent and I hope that she will use this platform to attempt something new and challenging rather than playing safe and writing about old favourite authors. (Guilty, guilty, guilty…)

I worry about the amount of teacher approval Anna still craves (definitely still guilty) and trust that she will believe me when I say that she really is as good as I keep telling her! (Nah, it’ll take a few more decades, I reckon…)

Really, some things never change.

(PS – please don’t take this as boasting!  I just find it funny…)

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to post about the lovely Kate’s Lincoln weekend!

 *Glances at diary and To Do List*  Uh, actually, yes I can.

But busy days notwithstanding, I did want to share a few pics with you.

Our fabulous hotel was just a stone’s throw (literally, a pebble tossed from our window could have struck the west door!) from the gorgeous Lincoln cathedral.

That’s the view from the Castle, across the crossroads that is the centre of the ancient city.  Our hotel is off to the left, one of the red brick buildings.  Here, Husband is showing his uncanny ability to know when I’m lurking with a camera, and modelling the front of our hotel.

Lincoln’s lovely, we’ll be back, I’m sure.  The Ghost walk revealed some of its fascinating and tragic stories, and the Cathedral Roof Walk revealed some shiver-worthy passages and narrow spaces… and some incredible views:-

But it wasn’t for the views that we came to Lincoln, it was for Kate, and moments like this:-

Thank you, Kate.

We’ve just been down to The Parentals to visit Dad on his metaphorical death-bed.  We laughed more than we cried, which is, I think, something of a Lucia talent.

 Dad obviously hasn’t studied behaviour suitable for a man who’s been transfered to palliative care and been given a month or two to live.  Saturday was taken up with taking out the wood-burning stove, making adjustments to the flue and supervising the sweeing of the chimney!  Husband was, I expect, vastly relieved to have something practical to do.

 I just took pictures.  Husband, Brother, Mother, Father.

Priceless, aren’t they?

Speaking of priceless, Brother came up with a Mastercard-esque description of my and Husband’s wedding day: 

Wedding Dress – £500*

Reception – £1,500

Flowers – £300

Marrying a funny** husband – Priceless.

*I’m completely making up these costs.

** That’s funny ha-ha, not funny peculiar.  Although now I come to think of it…

Bear with me.  I have a pile of blogs to post, but they all have pictures, and for some reason Word Press doesn’t want to play piccy with me.

 Normal service will resume, I hope, shortly.