Gastric Not So Fantastic

'Projectile vomiting and explosive diahorrea - just two of the treats on offer when you come to our house for dinner! Same time next week?'

'No thanks, I'm washing my hair.'

Ugh. I've been suffering with a gastric bug courtesy of the Naughty Nieces. My brother's had it, my mother and now me. The bathroom in my new flat is about 25 years old and is going to be my first major project, let's put it this way, it's not got the kind of toilet that you'd want to have to become intimate with.

Unfortunately this inconvenient little sickness has coincided with a particularly busy week and also comes as I'm about to go off to my very first Rhythm Riot.

I don't want to feel icky as I'm jiving my way around the dancefloor! I want to enjoy the fantastic bands and make the most of the people-watching opportunities. I love the 40s and 50s 'scene', the gorgeous girls with their bright red lips, cute men with period threads, the vintage cars, the great music and most of all the wonderful dancing.

A green complexion and rumbling guts doesn't fit with my picture of the perfect Rhythm Riot experience. Here's hoping that I can kick this by tomorrow!

November Already?

Arghhhhhhhhhh, it's 17 November already! How'd that happen? Where's the year going? My life?

I've been consumed by work (boring work work and not writing work) during the week and then DIY on the weekend so have not been blogging. Lunchtimes and leaving on time are rare at the moment so I don't get the chance to blog at work and do not currently have internet access at Devine Towers.

I got the keys back in September and then spent most of October and early November cleaning, prepping and decorating before some of the furniture arrived. I finally moved in last week and have been so excited about being in my very own home!

Don't want to do the washing up? So don't. Want to paint the walls a violent fuschia pink? So what, it's mine - I can! (Erm, I'd like to add that I haven't actually done this but the point is that I could if I wanted to).

The novelty of spending my weekends slogging away after a hard week in the office will no doubt wear off very soon but for the moment I'm still excited. So excited that I came back after a scrumptious prosecco-fuelled dinner chez Aussie Flower's and got stuck in with painting primer onto my dire kitchen tiles at 1am on Saturday night. Perhaps that's less Excitable First Time Buyer and more Big Fat Loser, I'm not sure...!

Oh the thrilling life of a property magnate.

Don't You Just Hate It When...

...you read a book by an author who you've never read before.

You love it.

They have a second book or maybe if you're lucky a back catalogue of books and you want to rush out and buy them all. That first read was so brilliant, so captivating and all consuming, a book the likes of which you haven't read and enjoyed so much in a long time that you want to devour anything else by this writer.

You purchase one, two or more of the other books available and select one to read first. With quivering hands you turn to page 1 and begin with trepidation and lots of expectation.

You finish the first chapter, intrigued enough to continue but if truth be known, you're a little underwhelmed but you persevere. It's going to improve and how could it not if it's written by the writer who was able to produce the other work that you just LOVED!

Chapter 2 turns into 3 and so on until you get a hundred odd pages or so in and realise that it's taking you an awful long time to finish this book. You aren't taking it in your bag to work so you can read it on the train, you reject it as your bedtime reading in favour of the hardback you've been meaning to start or you find yourself flicking through a magazine.

Some time passes.

Eventually you finally admit to yourself that it's just not that good. In your opinion, of course.

Sadly it's not quite your cup of tea but because you so enjoyed the other piece you presumed that anything else would equally as good. More of the same but different. Different but better.

It's sooooo disappointing when this happens but it got me thinking about my own writing. How do writers or even musicians, artists etc. manage to keep working and growing personally and professionally whilst satisfying their audience. It must be tough if you've made a name for yourself as a bonkbuster writer and then you decide you quite fancy writing something completely different.

Possibly it's not even as dramatic as that. Maybe it's just that I fear that I won't want to churn out the same book which is a variation on a theme but am aware that this may then impact on readers.

Oh the things I worry about on chilly London days when I do not have such problems and indeed won't ever be any nearer having these things to worry about until I get on with finishing my rewrite and finally subbing.