SIMPLE PLEASURES ...

Couldn't decide what to post about this time.  It was a toss-up between 'Keep the Noise Down' -
which I feared may be misconstrued as a complaint about November 5th Fireworks and I didn't want no misconstruing on my blog -
Or my 'Simple Pleasures' idea. 

Then I read my pal-who-lives-in-South-Africa's blog post over at Weezafish and, not only does she talk about (among other things) Simple Pleasures - she actually uses the phrase. 
A sign!  A sign! 

(We have a bit of link, WF and I.  Well I like to think so anyway.  One time, during her last pregnancy, I had a dream about her trying on about a thousand different dresses and being indecisive about them all.  Turns out that is exactly what had happened in real life - she had started labour and needed something to travel to hospital in and couldn't find an outfit she was happy with!  And I hadn't known anything about it at all! Cosmic!) (Is it just me who thinks these kind of tales are interesting? )

Anyway...

Simple Pleasures.

AND THEY SAY VARIETY IS DEAD...

As far as entertainment goes I guess it is unorthodox.  But, in these cash-strapped times, at least a local hotel is making an effort.

 

As a strapline I can't imagine it will have the same sort of impact that 'Garbo Talks' did in the 30s ... but they are having a go - and that, as I so often tell my children, is the main thing.

BOOK OF BEDTIME STORIES ...

...Or, Dreams Can Come True (aaaaah)

Way, way back in November last year I entered a Bedtime Story writing competition.  Then I do believe it was January of this year when I discovered I'd made it to the short list, and February when I darn near popped with excitement when I heard I was one of the 10 winners.

There followed an illuminating correspondence with my very talented editor, Kate Davies, and later I was sent the roughs of the illustrations that would accompany my text.  It was all the Kates!  Me, my editor and then Kate Leiper, the illustrator.  (Please check out Kate L's website to see some of her incredible artwork).



Anyhoo, it all died down on the action front, until this plopped into my Inbox.

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW ...

...Or Can I?

It's been almost exactly nearly a whole month since I last posted, so you might be forgiven for thinking I may have a story to tell.

Not so, dear reader.  I've been busy with My New Job (in a pottery painting place - which is awesome) and decorating our Bedroom (which now has a new, vaulted (I think that's the word) ceiling - also awesome).  *Wooooah Bracket Attack*

But what I did find - as I was pootling through my very old photos on my very old phone was this ...

HOLIDAYS CAN BE THE GLUE THAT HOLDS A FAMILY TOGETHER ...

... But what's holding the pages in my book?

We've just got back from a week in Sunny Portugal and, really, my head is still there. 

I know for sure my body isn't, however.  It's been busy doing a hundredweight of washing a day and refusing to fit into most of my clothes since it got back. 


But back to Portugal.  Man it was HOT! 
One day the temperature in our Hire Car read 46 actual degrees - although it did 'cool down' to a frosty 42 degrees by the time we'd driven for about 20 minutes. The English tabloids would have gleefully emblazoned 'Phew! What a scorcher!' on the front pages every day. 
And maybe the Portuguese ones did too - I can't read Portuguese so I wouldn't know.

Anyway, I believe I have established that it was hot.  Now here's a thing -