I finished my draft and made a lasagne.
I finished my draft and made a lasagne.
Don’t wanna be around when she starts writing with those!
Hi! It’s my favourite month (yes, I know I’m basic; I do not care).
I decided to go for a walk every morning while the weather is still good and even though I set off at 8 today, it was already hot. But it was lovely and I felt great when I got back.
Actually, I felt great anyway, because I have finished my novel!
Well. Sort of.
I got to the end of the draft (again) and I sent it off to a trusted friend to read, along with many caveats about bits I know I still need to write (one chapter is just a bunch of bullet points and also I forgot about a list of edit notes on my phone), but I’d reached the point where I desperately needed some feedback. God, I hope she loves it.
You can read the first three chapters (along with extracts from the other novel I’m writing and the Harry Styles book), with a paid subscription.
(If you’d like to read it, but can’t pay right now, email me and I will sort you out.)
I read this earlier today (I’d been saving it) and god knows I identify (it’s very funny).
Congratulations on Finishing Your Book, You Absolute Loser.
READING
I’ve mostly been reading my own WIP, but I also started Would that be Funny? Growing Up with John Clarke by Lorin Clarke.
I don’t know John Clarke, a satirist who died in 2017, but I absolutely loved Lorin Clarke’s podcast, The Fitzroy Diaries. (Please listen and if you do, please message me about it!)
At the start of Lorin’s book, she lists affectionate family nicknames and made-up phrases and I read it and thought, aw, there wasn’t anything like that in my family. And then I remembered that I literally keep a list on my phone of things my parents used to say.
I just added marmalize a couple of days ago, after reading it in one of Katy’s brilliant posts. Such a good word.
What are your family words and phrases? I’d love to hear them.
WATCHING
Our local cinema is showing classic Disney movies for the 100th anniversary. So far, the eldest and I have seen Cinderella and Peter Pan, and this weekend is 101 Dalmations.
I’ve also started Extraordinary on Disney+ (my second time, first time for the 14yo). It’s so good.
EATING
I made a lasagne mostly from scratch (I cba with béchamel) and I cannot tell you how good it was. I was delighted with myself.
I shovelled it into my face, even though it was actually too hot, thinking I can’t believe I can just put a load of ingredients together and make actual real food. I am 52-years-old. It’s sad, really.
I finished my draft and made a lasagne.
My auntie once said something was “bram new” (she thought that was the phrase) and now we always say it and my mum says “going off on a tandem” instead of tangent (she knows that’s not the phrase, though). Lasagne looks gorge!
I have a whole bunch from my own childhood and a whole other crop from my own family. I particularly love a few that have come from mine and my kids obsession with the poetry and songs of John Hegley. In particular I love ‘furniture, no thank you.’ From Eddie Don’t Like Furniture and ‘why don’t you get..a better dog.’ Can’t recall the name of this one. Used frequently and never in relation to furniture or dogs.