Back to school and more story news

Back to work today, which is something of a shock to the system. But at least everyone else has been away too, so there isn't a huge amount of emails to struggle through, thank goodness. After all, I’ve taken most of the day to recover from the shock of waking up to snow. Snow! In Surrey. Appalling, my dears, appalling … Here’s hoping it vanishes before we have to trudge home in it. I’m not even sure if I’ve parked the car in a recognised space at the University car park, as it was impossible to tell. Though I am between two other cars. Sort of.

Oh and this morning’s exciting news is that the All Things Girl Ezine have accepted my short story, The Singing Road, for publication in February. Double gosh! That’s certainly taken the edge off the return to work, I can tell you.

And here’s this morning’s meditation:

Meditation 40

Things whispered
at night

will be heard
in the day.

Cover the altar
with incense,

spread the perfume wide
with your small hand

until wood and flesh
are one.

Listen.


Meanwhile, heroes for the New Year are Godalming Theatre Group’s production of Sleeping Beauty (which wowed Chaplaincy Ruth), Nigel Planer (the Dean’s favourite), the Student Affairs Committee Chair (for saying my minutes were excellent – it’s the plotline, you know. Gets them every time) and Julia Sawalha (for being practically perfect in every way in Larkrise to Candleford).

At lunchtime, I braved the weather and walked into town. Not much to buy, really – though I did get a couple of half-price block calendars for the office and home – but hey at least the exercise did me good. Mind you, I was so exhausted by the time I got back that I had to succumb to my first Starbucks of 2009. Bliss. Ah, but it’s the slippery slope now, Carruthers …

And talking of slippery slopes, I’m sorry to see that Wedgwood has gone into administration – such a shame for a classic UK industry and one that’s lasted for 250 years too. It’s part of our heritage (and yes we do indeed have some wedding Wedgwood in the house so I’m definitely prejudiced - the pattern is Cavendish, if you're asking. Naturally, it's the best ...) and I hope they can find a buyer. Honestly, this whole credit crunch is going to change everything, I feel.

Tonight, I’m going to pop in and see how Gladys is getting on, then I’m gearing myself up for the first part of the Anne Frank series. Not many jokes there to get us into the New Year, I fear, but it has that ring of class (and of course truth) that one just has to watch. And I’ve started my Zipporah (Moses’ wife) story with the tentative title of Little Bird. I can’t seem to find out much of use about the geography of Biblical Midian however, so I suspect I’ll have to ask Lord H. Again.

But the big news of the day is that I’ve discovered that Juli of Mighty Erudite is okay, so that’s a relief. It’s just that there’s a lot on at the moment. Thank goodness, as I was seriously worried. Hope to catch up with you at some point, Juli!

Today’s nice things:

1. Selling my third short story of 2009.
2. Poetry
3. This week’s heroes
4. Starbucks cappuccino
5. Starting a long short story
6. Juli being okay.

Anne Brooke
Anne's website - glad to get the first day back over with ...