Minutes, visits and review writing

I managed to redeem yesterday’s extraordinarily dull day by sending out three short story submissions, so I feel something came out of it all at least. I was also mollified for the prior rejection of one of these (for one of my bible stories) as the editor said they loved it but it was too long for their format, and did I have anything else? Well, unfortunately not at the moment – but I’ll bear that venue in mind for sure.

Additional excitements of today could be found in the interesting challenge of actually driving out of the end of our road. For the last week, we've been part of a 3-way traffic light system as British Gas are once again working on the road - which has meant we've had to wait for long long minutes (during which civilisations rise and fall, and generations are born and die) before we're allowed to go. But this morning the lights were broken, so we had to make a wild guess as to which directions traffic might be coming from beyond the solid barriers and then just go for it. It's not an easy turn at the best of times (having one blind corner) but today all the corners were blind. Still, on the way back home tonight, I see the lights have all been taken down and the holes filled in (presumably to hide the dead bodies of those less than lucky motorists ...) so it looks like tomorrow might be a normal day. One hopes ...

And here’s today’s meditation:

Meditation 147

The truth of a man
is not found

in the mere facts
of his life

nor in what you think
you know of him

but in what
he knows of himself

and the freedom
you grant him.


For most of this morning, I’ve scurried around typing up copious minutes, so my brain is full of education- and management-speak. Lordy, what can it all mean? UPDATE: I've finished the first draft of both sets of minutes and sent them out for checking, so I am indeed a true minuting genius. Pause for applause ... Mind you, I can't vouch for the sense I've made of them. So, despite the weather (where has summer gone??), I walked round the campus at lunchtime just to see how things were faring. Everything was wet. But it was good to be out. As it were. I’ve also remembered to send off Jim’s (stepfather) Father’s Day present as it’s 21 June (also my birthday, hurrah!) as we’ll be back too late from our holidays to send anything out then.

Later in the afternoon I had to minute my final meeting of the week, though this one was – thankfully – a little more informal. Phew. Always good to have yet more writing up to look forward to tomorrow, I suppose.

On the way home, I’ll pop into see Gladys for our usual 15-20 minutes of silence, as she seems to hate me so much these days, sigh. UPDATE: she really hated me tonight, so I was only able to stay for 10 minutes as it looked like she might start biting and screaming. I suspect though that if it did come to a biting and screaming match between Gladys and me, then I may well win, but one doesn't want to upset the old folk too much. Anyway tonight I’ll be glued to Springwatch (those messy finches, dear me …!) and I must start my Vulpes Libris review writing for Erin Pringle's collection of short stories, The Floating Order. Nice to have a more literary (as it were) writing task to look forward to.

Today’s nice things:

1. Short story submissions (from yesterday)
2. Poetry
3. Lunchtime walks
4. TV.
5. Review writing for Vulpes.

Anne Brooke - a potential Olympic medallist in the biting/screaming competition