Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Back to reality

Goodness me, it seems to be a long week this week – and here I am still at work. Am I in a temporal anomaly? Again?? Never mind. Anyway, the Writewords (http://www.writewords.org.uk) London Literary Salon event last night was great – lovely to see people I’ve only ever known through email at last. Gosh, I can do real – as well as virtual – networking. Wonders never cease. Also lovely to hear Emma Darwin (http://www.emmadarwin.com) read from her latest novel, The Mathematics of Love, and also from her new, yet to be named novel, which comes out in Summer 2008. I’m very much looking forward to that, Emma!

Here’s a poem – a scene spotted from the train somewhere in east London on the journey up last night:

Seen from a train

A row of Victorian houses
fronted in white
rises up the hill
to a distant spire:

wedding cake pathway
to God.



Hmm, must be in unusually romantic mood or something today. Anyway, my eyes are being dragged through the day due to impending exhaustion. I’m not good at these late nights, you know – must be me age. Funny how temporal anomalies never work backwards. At least not for me. I think I only ever age in great bounds. Groan!

Today, I have had a new staff card photo done, as we’re changing our logo. The new one is a deer, m’dears. And very jolly it is too. My old staff card showed a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed youngster smiling gamely at the camera. My new one shows a clapped-out old hag frowning into the distance. Astonishing how things can change in only three years. Draw your own conclusions … I was actually trying to focus. Even though I already had my glasses on.

This lunchtime, I am skipping the back exercise course, which is probably a good thing as I doubt I’d be able to get off the gym floor once down there. Instead, I have to cover for the Student Advice office as they’re seriously understaffed today. I do hope nobody visits or calls between 12.30 and 1.30pm as, really, I know absolutely nothing and any enquirer may be better off waiting till the temp (who’s very knowledgeable indeed) comes on this afternoon. I’ll need to lock up too later on, so have to look like a real professional, with office keys. Ho ho. Actually, the lunchtime cover wasn’t too bad – just two visitors, both of which I could deal with (hurrah!) and one phone call. Ditto. Oh, and I discovered that Sally’s chair is wonderful and with only a gentle push you can go all the way round on it three times. Both ways too. It was such fun! I’m a simple soul at heart …

Rather scarily, I have just used the new University Internal Requisition system for booking Steering Group meetings over the next year. I was terrified beforehand (please God, not a new system – I can’t take any more!...). But, actually, it was really easy and I didn’t have to get up from my (own) chair once. My idea of happiness indeed. So that really confusing email sent round earlier was obviously only designed to fool us. Ha!

And have just heard from Chevonne at Flame (http://www.flamebooks.com) that so far they’ve sold 72 copies of A Dangerous Man (not including the ones I’ve sold myself). Not sure I’ll be able to retire quite yet then – but, as ever, thank you hugely to my 72 very discerning readers. I really appreciate your support. If I sell 100 copies, I might just crack open the virtual champagne and share it with you all, tee hee!

Tonight, I was going to call Marian and skip golf, as I really, really need to do more editing to Thorn in the Flesh. But actually, if the weather holds, I think I’ll go as I need to get some air through my brain. Yes, I know, there’s more air than brain up there anyway, but you know what I mean. I’ll restart the editing afterwards, and set the video for “Rome”.

Ooh, and really incredibly Good News (with Capitals) about the release of Alan Johnston. At last! Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a relief. I am sooo pleased about that one. Double – no, triple – hurrahs. And all good thoughts to him, his family and friends too.

Today’s nice things:

1. Sally’s chair
2. Editing
3. The good news about Alan Johnston.

Anne Brooke
http://www.annebrooke.com
http://www.pinkchampagneandapplejuice.com
http://www.goldenford.co.uk

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