Storytime

I spent a lovely chilled and relaxing weekend with family. We had a house by the beach and even though it is winter, and it was freezing cold, mostly wet and very grey and foggy..I really enjoyed it. It was a time to relax, to chat, to play with a baby, to venture out for a meal, to stay in and nibble on leftovers and have a drink or two. It was also when I decided to draw a line. ________________________ There was a part of me doing the whole " OMG you have a few moments, why aren't you writing? You should note that down, put that thought onto paper before it escapes". Another part realises that these times can never be taken for granted. I could have chosen to write and ignored my family...but I chose them. Made them my priority. And maybe food. But, I also decided to stop beating myself up over not having spent the weekend writing. Or even today, my designated writing day, writing. Frankly, today I have spent the past five hours drivi...

Storytime at the library is aimed at 3-5 year olds. As often happens we do get younger children attending, and sometimes we may get an older sibling or two. But this week I had three children much older than my usual pre-schoolers. One girl about 7 with a younger sister and two boys, about 8 and 9. For a second this threw me. I aim my program at the children that attend- and a lot of this group are in the younger age group. Two and three year olds. Can I tell you how much they all enjoyed the stories. We read to small children all the time. Building a great rapport with the child, promoting a love of books and reading. Yet so many people stop reading when the children are school age. There is the assumption that now they are learning to read, they don't need to be read to. These children, especially the two older boys, LOVED being read to. In fact both of them, and their young four year old friend, came to sit by my side. Our theme was elephants and the stand out b...

So, one of my goals for this month is to submit a piece of work. Very vague, as I have no idea what to submit nor to where. But I know it's time to start sending work out into the world. So I began last Friday. Began is the right word...I started to search for places for submissions...got side tracked...ended up on a garden site. Naturally I head out between showers to check out the garden. Yep still there. Still needs work. Back inside, after coffee and snack (can you have a cuppa without a snack? ) then yes I have found a place to submit. Then... Over the weekend I paint a Very Hungry Caterpillar. This week we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of this book, so I HAD to create a caterpillar that the kids at work can feed. How could I not? Monday and I have a few hours before work so I carefully go through some poems. Which ones to send? I have three selected to work on. I then head outside because... the rains have brought out a collection of funghi. ...