Saturday 31 July 2010

A Month Of Madness


Having got wildly excited over finishing this - THE WAY TO A WOMAN'S HEART (note my huge self control in not even mentioning Midnight Feast...) - I have unashamedly skived for the last month. Well, sort of...









I've actually been here for a few days and given a talk or two at the Lit Fest and had a truly brilliant time - what an amazingly friendly city Middlesbrough is! Thank you to everyone who came along and was so lovely....








And here for the weekend... (I do so love a gut-quivering jet engine roar or twenty...)



And here... where I also gave a talk (and giggled a lot) and met up with my lovely, glamorous and really good friend Jane and had a wonderful evening even if the local paper managed to get ALL the facts wrong!


And here with The Toyboy Trucker for some much needed R&R - not to mention alcohol and food and far, far too much ice-cream...






Oh, and here because my recurring conjunctivitis isn't - it's blepharitis which is totally different and has a completely different treatment and I'm really happy now because I can see!!!




And most excitingly of all - here....
And this was like walking on to a film set! Having seen the pictures and heard all about Debs' fabulous shed for so long, to actually be there was almost overwhelming. It's amazing! And gorgeous! And pretty! And I WANT ONE!!!! Thanks so much Debs (and Grumpy, for allowing me over the portals) - it was simply brilliant.



I've also written five short stories - and sent them...



And I've started The New Book - which I've called NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE in an attempt to find my own "let's get away from the cutesy magicky titles" title.


And today is Jonah's 15th birthday. He's celebrated well with chicken breast and steamed fish. As we were told he would be lucky if he survived to his 3rd birthday we're really proud of him. But not half as proud as he is of himself! Showing-off, swaggering and preening all seem to come very naturally to him.


Other less pictorial catch-up stuff from previous posts - one-eyed Maddy is absolutely fantastic now, although she has turned into a bit of a prima-donna with all the earlier attention, but is managing to live with her restricted vision with no problems at all. Elle and The Doctor's ill-fated Carlton Epsom handmade bed eventually arrived - damaged and in the wrong colour... back to the drawing board for that one, then. Sigh.... It is now fifteen months since we spoke to the outlaws after the no-show wedding fiasco. Feel that it is too long to even try for a reconciliation. Shame...

Sooo, now I'm back with bum-on-seat and fingers-on-keyboard and after my month of skiving madness will try really, really hard to be A Good Blogger in future. I think...

10 comments:

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

Grumps and I were thrilled to show you our shed. You're more than welcome to visit us again at any time.

Happy birthday to Jonas, and I'm glad Maddy's doing so well after her traumatic time recently.

I love the cover of The Way To A Woman's Heart, I can't wait to read it, and good luck with those short stories too.

alzamina said...

yay - glad to see you back online - sorry I missed you at Middlesborough, sure we will meet up somewhere! HAve been laid up for a while as was kicked by the shire as he went for a fly - is the only time I have been truley gratfull for being 'well padded' in the thigh anf hip department!

So why the picture of the f16's? You thinking of taking up flying them?
x

Christina Jones said...

Debs - oh I had such a great time! Thank you so much for your wonderful hospitality. Was SO reluctant to leave... will be back SOON! You have been warned. I still like the TWTAWH cover - very eye-catching... Maybe one day I'll love the contents too...

Christina Jones said...

alzamina - yes, really sorry we didn't meet up but plans changed at the last minute and we went cross-country and stayed with friends in the midlands and Yorkshire en route... OUCH - poor you! Do hope you're feeling better soon. F16s - oooh, I wish... No, just spent the weekend at Fairford lusting over them...

Colette McCormick said...

You've been up to a lot of things. Glad you enjoyed Middlesbrough - I love the place.
especially glad to hear about Jonah but sorry about the bed.

Jan Jones said...

Welcome back, Chris! (And Happy Birthday, Jonah.)

My, you've been busy...

Karen said...

It all sounds wonderful (apart from the outlaws of course) and I love your book cover, can't wait to read it now - the book that is, not the cover. Best of luck with the short stories too :o)

Christina Jones said...

Colette - thank you - for all of it. Seems like ages ago now, but did love Middlesborough too... Really hope they meant it when they said they'd have me back!

Christina Jones said...

Jan - thanks but the busy-bit was really just a mass-escape after FOURTEEN months of TWTAWH... I needed to kick up my heels a bit - there were moments when I was thinking I'll never do this (write a book) again - so I needed to forget about writing and do loads of different stuff before my brain exploded...

Christina Jones said...

Karen - thank you! No news on the shorts subs yet (have sent off four more since - they'll probably all be rejected at the same time!) - and I like the cover of TWTAWH - have spent far too long on the innards to be objective about them any more.