Birthday celebrations and story successes

Big celebrations today as it’s Lord H’s birthday! I seem to have managed to get the right sort of presents and we’re continuing to munch our happy way through the birthday cake, hurrah. I’ve even cut us a slice each for lunch too. Goodness me but my Wife Points are topping the scale. Big-time.

It’s also nice to see that my flash fiction story, Over in Five, is now published and can be found here – never trust a visit to the zoo is what I say … Additional story news is that Eternal Press have sent me the edits to my short story, Painting from Life, so I’m looking forward to getting my teeth into those for them. And, to cap it all, I’ve also started my planned short story about wildernesses at last. UPDATE: And I've just heard that Every Day Poets have accepted my poem, Old Prayers, for future publication, so that's wonderful. Heck, it’s really all go here at the literary coalface at the moment, you know. Long may it last! However, that said, I've had a rejection for The Bones of Summer today (groan), so that leaves me with only one publisher left before I start the next desperate tranche (double sighing ...). Ah well.

Meanwhile at work I’ve been organising the boss’s filing, finishing off the first draft of the minutes I started last week and attempting to sort out last minute arrangements for tomorrow’s novel reading event. I think we have enough chairs for the room – though rather sweetly it took three men from Estates to come and tell me. Goodness, but my scary reputation must indeed go before me – they obviously think there’s safety in numbers.

At lunchtime, I had my rescheduled reflexology appointment held over from last Monday (which I think must from now on be called Snowy Monday) so that was utter bliss as usual. I think I’m going to need that memory of calm to see me through the trials and tribulations of attempting to organise tomorrow’s event however. I am so definitely not a natural Mistress of Ceremonies at all – and goodness me I have to deal with people too. No doubt it will be my social inclusion quota for the month – though I’m sure when everyone’s there and it’s all got going, it’ll be most enjoyable.

Tonight, I need to pop in and see Gladys as I didn’t get to see her at all last week – shame on me. Then I’m cooking Lord H’s requested birthday meal of sausages, chips and mushrooms followed by ice cream, all washed down with champagne. Well, we like to live healthy lives, you know. But I won’t be singing him “Happy Birthday” – as he’s already had to run that gauntlet and is even now lying down in a darkened room trying to recover …

Ooh, and there’s the glorious Whitechapel on TV too, which we are both very keen to watch. A perfect evening indeed!

Today’s nice things:

1. Birthday celebrations
2. Over in Five being published
3. Starting the edits for Painting from Life
4. Starting a new short story
5. Old Prayers being accepted for publication
6. Reflexology
7. TV.

Anne Brooke
Anne's website - drinking the night away