Finally getting a day of
decent weather I got to catch up with some of the chores I've not
been able to do. Following the minor flood from defrosting the
freezer at the weekend I got the lobby carpet out on to the washing
line to dry. I got to strip out my fishing bag to get that dry as
well. Whilst I was at it, I had a tidy-up in my tackle box - a job
which was long overdue. I then mowed the lawn. I had a bit of a
sort-out in the shed and the garden lock-ups. (If any of my loyal
readers think I'm looking after any of their camping gear, do let me
know; because there's a lot of gear taking up space I can't spare).
And as the sky became
overcast I went into cyber-space and had a little tidy-up on Badger
Original Landscapes. I've re-worded some of it - it would seem
that the masses are put off by words they don't understand. Like
"bespoke" and "discerning". I've
more to do on that website. I'll do it later.
With the first three
reviews of my short story in, I then gave the thing a few minor
tweaks (almost total re-write!) and then sent it off to
Beckenham for more opinion. Writing for a short story competition is
something of an experience. Writing to a word limit is something I've
not done for years, and getting all of what I want to say said in
three short pages is tricky. I'm very grateful to my volunteer
beta-testers. Having proof-read myself for others in the past I know
that it's very difficult to be critical of friends' work, but I am
grateful for the criticism.
For example I know I
start sentences with the word "and" from time to
time. I do it in this blog. I know it's grammatically wrong, but I
feel I can get away with it if I do it occasionally for dramatic
effect. I seem to do it in almost every other sentence. Must stop
that. Also I get "its" and it's" mixed up. And (I
did it again!) I use brackets far too often.
I can get away with these
idiosyncrasies when blogging. After all, like Bob (Ross) said
about paintings, this blog is *my* world. And my loyal readers have
come to expect this from me. But if I'm going to be writing stories,
then I need to follow the rules to garner mass appeal.
Having been reviewed I
then got to do some reviewing. One of my reviewers is also entering
this same competition and, in a move akin to comparing homework
notes, we've agreed to act as reviewers for each other. His story
is..... well, it's something I'm not going to expound on here (it
would be wrong to do so). But I will say that I liked the story,
and couldn't find much at all about which I could be picky.
Talking of books and
writing, my Kindle remains knacked. There is talk of replacing the
screen, but for the cost involved i can't help but feel I might buy a
Kobo ebook reader. I shan't buy anything just yet. I know that within
half an hour of my buying something I will be told of a place, shop
or person who could have sold me a better thing cheaper. So I'm
holding out to find out what that better cheaper thing is before I
part with my cash.
And whilst I did all of
this, my mobile rang and rang. Job offers. Was I free to take up a
post doing something I really didn't fancy next week? Was I available
to start working for a double glazing firm the week after?
Whilst I'm not going to
pursue those offers, it's heartening to know that there are
possibilities out there.
Being Tuesday is "Being
Human". The clans gathered in Somerset Road this time. We
had another good evening; rounded off by a creme egg each. I rarely
have chocolate these days. It was a very welcome treat, and less than
two hundred calories too...
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