Sunday, February 03, 2008

Candlemas and the Torchwood mission

Lord H and I popped along to the Candlemas service at St Mary's today - all very civilised and they did stuff with candles too, which was nice. It doesn't always happen. Lord H lit the one we were sharing and I blew it out the two or three times we had to do the ritualistic candle thing. Well, one has to cater to marital strengths: Lord H is an enabler and I am a destroyer. Naturally.

And talking of marital matters (steady, people, steady ...), we have had our traditional Sunday discussions about whether the glorious liquid we put on our weekly porridge is syrup or treacle. I always say treacle, no matter what the colour, though I do prefer dark treacle (there, you see?!). And Lord H always says syrup as he prefers the golden version. Anyway we have now decided that once again taste and vocabulary simply echo character: Lord H is golden and light; I am dark and punchy. Problem solved - I think!

For the rest of the day, I have been up to my head in editing The Gifting (where for the first time ever you will actually find the edited extract on the site, hurrah. I admit I haven't put the prologue in, but it makes sense to start with Simon for extract purposes, I feel). Today I've written a whole scene for Annyeke and am about to come back to Simon's journey through the Kingdom of the Air. In so doing, I've broken the 140,000 word barrier - but I suspect I will be back below that in my tackle of Chapter Eleven as I plan cuts. Aha! Cuts, people, cuts! So very cleansing, you know. Nurse, the screens ...

You'll also be pleased to hear that Lord H and I have completed our Torchwood mission for this week and Ianto is almost beside himself with joy at our usefulness. I'm particularly chuffed as I actually managed to be of some help this time as Lord H was being way too scientific about the clue and I Googled it and went for the layman's option. Which was right, aha! So we are now on standby for next week's mission with days to spare.

In terms of books, I've just been reading and rereading (in that order) Joseph Hansen's Fadeout and Death Claims - part of his Brandstetter gay PI series. I'd forgotten how bloody good Hansen is with description and what a sharp and imaginative turn of phrase he has. It's a pleasure to read, and I'm also enjoying the general cynicism and wit of Brandstetter himself. I also must admit to having forgotten I'd already read Death Claims as a teenager (Colchester Library was extraordinarily good for gay fiction in the 1970s, for which well done them! It's also where I borrowed the whole of Powell's Dance to the Music of Time from, in completely the wrong order ... ye gods, no wonder I'm confused) - so yesterday I was reading a key scene thinking good grief, has he plagiarised someone for this?? Then it all came flooding back ... doh! I'm going to have a break with a different book though before I read the next two in the Brandstetter series - I've got the complete 12 in one volume. Bloody small print too - thank the Lord for my reading glasses.

Tonight, I'll be having a leisurely stroll through "Larkrise to Candleford" and Monty Don's Gardens (the paper says they're better this week, Irene, so might be worth another try?).

This week's haiku (as my sick friend has them in her garden) is:

Crocuses
Their stiff yellow peaks
push a path through winter air.
Tiny hints of spring.


Today's nice things:

1. Church
2. Writing Annyeke's scene
3. Torchwood fun & games!

Anne Brooke
Anne's website
Goldenford Publishers

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