A few months ago, the magazine I do book reviews for was asking for readers to be judges in the 2013 Melissa Nathan Award for Fiction about Life and Love. I applied and was told I'd be emailed in due course to let me know if I was going to be needed. I never heard anything and, to be completely honest, had totally forgotten about it. So imagine my surprise when a rather large packet was dropped off by our postman yesterday and inside were 3 novels and instructions for judgely duties, which have to be completed by 8th March.
Although a little taken aback by the suddenness of this, I'm rather pleased and I have to say I feel most encouraged,
especially as, unlike the reviews I usually do where I have to finish
the books even if I'm not enjoying them, we've been explicitly told the
following: 'If you get to chapter 2 and you're not enjoying it and it hasn't made you laugh, then it obviously isn't the winner; so stop reading and throw it away/use it to prop up a wonky table'. Isn't that great!
I am now sworn to secrecy about the actual novels I've been given and not even allowed to tell you what grading I'm giving any of them.
My lips are therefore sealed, I'm staying stum and you'll never hear anything more about it.
The end.
Thursday, 24 January 2013
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
A weather report
What a difference 30 miles makes.
After digging my car out of about 8 inches of snow this morning, it was time to head off for a bit of exercise in the form of badminton in Galashiels. On the way I noticed a car upside down in a field in the snow, which reminded me to drive carefully.
A fun hour later and home for lunch and to get myself ready to go to Edinburgh for a meeting in the afternoon. I wasn't sure what the roads would be like up there and phoned my colleague. He seemed a bit taken aback at the question.
I left home and it was -1 (at midday) and arrived 50 minutes later in a warm +4. At the side of the roads in the Borders snow is piled high (4 ft or thereabouts over the Sutra) to cross the East Lothian/Edinburgh border and the road was black as black with not even a pinch of snow to be seen.
No wonder he thought I was a bit strange to ask if parking would be an issue!
After digging my car out of about 8 inches of snow this morning, it was time to head off for a bit of exercise in the form of badminton in Galashiels. On the way I noticed a car upside down in a field in the snow, which reminded me to drive carefully.
 |
| On the road to Galashiels |
I left home and it was -1 (at midday) and arrived 50 minutes later in a warm +4. At the side of the roads in the Borders snow is piled high (4 ft or thereabouts over the Sutra) to cross the East Lothian/Edinburgh border and the road was black as black with not even a pinch of snow to be seen.
No wonder he thought I was a bit strange to ask if parking would be an issue!
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
A bit of togetherness
Tonight, in the cold of a snowy Scottish Border night, was gym night chez nous.
Mountain Man and I decided on a weights in front of the telly kind of exercise, which entails watching crap on TV and doing sets of reps weight-lifting. Of course when I say weight-lifting this means MM lifts with 22lbs on each arm and mine are a whole 3 lbs.
No sharp intakes of breath at the patheticness of my small weights, thank you very much, I certainly don't want to become over-muscled now do I?
Mountain Man and I decided on a weights in front of the telly kind of exercise, which entails watching crap on TV and doing sets of reps weight-lifting. Of course when I say weight-lifting this means MM lifts with 22lbs on each arm and mine are a whole 3 lbs.
No sharp intakes of breath at the patheticness of my small weights, thank you very much, I certainly don't want to become over-muscled now do I?
 |
| His 'n her weights |
Monday, 21 January 2013
Age is just a number
I did some work, but then felt the need to do some exercise and so the Wii Fit was brought into action.
I'm really pleased to be able to report that my Wii Fit age today was 29! Woohoo! Usually I can make it to around 40, which is pretty good. I can't even work out why I was managing the mental and physical exercises so well today. The only difference was I'd been to dig my car out earlier. Maybe that was it? Or far more likely, the fact I've done not much over the last few days and have been keeping it all in reserve!
Sunday, 20 January 2013
Of hormones and snow
When a hormonal day collides with snow you just know the combination is probably not going to be a positive one.
On Friday night - the night of the non Borders Search and Rescue dinner (there were several cry-off's, not just us) - Mountain Man got an alert on his pager for a rescue mission to take place yesterday morning. Apparently the situation wasn't urgent as those needing rescuing were safe in a mountain hut with good equipment, but were stuck. The request meant an early start for him.
Meanwhile I woke up with the dreaded 'itchy legs', which is when I know I'm hormonal. Luckily it's not an 'I want chocolate' kind of hormonal, which I'm quite pleased about as it's not been that long since I had one of those and it'd worry me considerably if I had another quite so soon. The itchy legs seem to coincide with feeling moody and a can't be bothered attitude.
Snow always makes me feel like hiding under the duvet and, as there was at least 6 inches out there, this was definitely going to be a day inside. I opted to do some housework, clear the path to the house of snow, feed the birds, cook some spaghetti sauce for our evening meal and then settle down to do some work. This didn't last long and I opted instead to sort out my old psychology books to put in boxes to be taken to the second hand book shop, which was cathartic, but once done I admit I spent the majority of the afternoon staring out of the window at the ice on the road and hoping MM would get back safely.
I'm pleased to report MM arrived home while it was just still light with tales of awful driving conditions and a successful rescue mission, thank goodness, especially as the temperature was dropping by the second and snow was starting again.
The onset of dark and the snow covering the velux windows, which often makes the house feel like a snow hole, found us both feeling that it was quite a lot later than it really was and, although it was only 5.30, suddenly my hormonal state ripped in to wanting a drink. Only a martini would do and only if we had the right kind of olives (small ones with pimento, in case you're interested), which we did. One of those and dinner later saw me wanting another. This was not a good idea. Neither was the glass of red wine I also felt like at about 9 o'clock.
And of course, this morning I've woken up feeling not particularly good, which is hardly surprising. I still have itchy legs though, but today I will be wary of that 'wanting anything at all' kind of feeling and will not be pandering to it under any circumstances.
On Friday night - the night of the non Borders Search and Rescue dinner (there were several cry-off's, not just us) - Mountain Man got an alert on his pager for a rescue mission to take place yesterday morning. Apparently the situation wasn't urgent as those needing rescuing were safe in a mountain hut with good equipment, but were stuck. The request meant an early start for him.
Meanwhile I woke up with the dreaded 'itchy legs', which is when I know I'm hormonal. Luckily it's not an 'I want chocolate' kind of hormonal, which I'm quite pleased about as it's not been that long since I had one of those and it'd worry me considerably if I had another quite so soon. The itchy legs seem to coincide with feeling moody and a can't be bothered attitude.
Snow always makes me feel like hiding under the duvet and, as there was at least 6 inches out there, this was definitely going to be a day inside. I opted to do some housework, clear the path to the house of snow, feed the birds, cook some spaghetti sauce for our evening meal and then settle down to do some work. This didn't last long and I opted instead to sort out my old psychology books to put in boxes to be taken to the second hand book shop, which was cathartic, but once done I admit I spent the majority of the afternoon staring out of the window at the ice on the road and hoping MM would get back safely.
I'm pleased to report MM arrived home while it was just still light with tales of awful driving conditions and a successful rescue mission, thank goodness, especially as the temperature was dropping by the second and snow was starting again.
The onset of dark and the snow covering the velux windows, which often makes the house feel like a snow hole, found us both feeling that it was quite a lot later than it really was and, although it was only 5.30, suddenly my hormonal state ripped in to wanting a drink. Only a martini would do and only if we had the right kind of olives (small ones with pimento, in case you're interested), which we did. One of those and dinner later saw me wanting another. This was not a good idea. Neither was the glass of red wine I also felt like at about 9 o'clock.
And of course, this morning I've woken up feeling not particularly good, which is hardly surprising. I still have itchy legs though, but today I will be wary of that 'wanting anything at all' kind of feeling and will not be pandering to it under any circumstances.
Friday, 18 January 2013
Working on my guilt
Tonight, as snow falls across Scotland, we were supposed to head on out there for the Borders Search and Rescue Unit Christmas dinner in Kelso, which is never held at Christmas, nor at New Year, but instead on some arbitrary chosen date.
After rushing back from an all day meeting in Edinburgh, I arrived home just as the snow was beginning in earnest. I was told in no uncertain terms that 'it's not really snowing, so it's on', but then just as I'd done my hair (rather brilliantly for once I have to say), I looked out the window to see large snow flakes flustering about in the wind. The road outside the house went white. 'Are you sure we're going?' I asked. 'Yes' was the answer.
A few moments later I said, 'Are you really sure?' 'Well no... let me check.'
Within minutes we went from going to not going.
And within minutes of that the guilt set in. If everyone else was going to make it were we that soft that a bit of snow scared us off? I've been assured by Mountain Man that I don't need to feel guilty, but I'm afraid that doesn't help much.
The only thing I do know is, that I don't want to spend the night stuck in the snow on the road to Kelso waiting to be rescued by the Search and Rescue folk... no sirree... a bit of guilt will have to do!
After rushing back from an all day meeting in Edinburgh, I arrived home just as the snow was beginning in earnest. I was told in no uncertain terms that 'it's not really snowing, so it's on', but then just as I'd done my hair (rather brilliantly for once I have to say), I looked out the window to see large snow flakes flustering about in the wind. The road outside the house went white. 'Are you sure we're going?' I asked. 'Yes' was the answer.
A few moments later I said, 'Are you really sure?' 'Well no... let me check.'
Within minutes we went from going to not going.
And within minutes of that the guilt set in. If everyone else was going to make it were we that soft that a bit of snow scared us off? I've been assured by Mountain Man that I don't need to feel guilty, but I'm afraid that doesn't help much.
The only thing I do know is, that I don't want to spend the night stuck in the snow on the road to Kelso waiting to be rescued by the Search and Rescue folk... no sirree... a bit of guilt will have to do!
Wednesday, 16 January 2013
A pat on the back
Today was supposed to be my annual dental check-up, but at the end of last week I noticed I couldn't have anything remotely cold touch one of my teeth and, as it had got progressively worse over the past few days, I phoned to ask if, alongside my check-up and twice yearly assignation with the hygenist, I could have it fixed.
An hour or so in the dentist chair with Dr Chris, the dentist, chatting away at me (why do they do that?) and a couple of injections, saw an old filling removed and a new one ensconced. A very unpleasant process, but of course I do realise it could have been a whole lot worse than an old, cracked filling needing replaced.
And then it was off to the hygenist for an equally unpleasant time.
I don't know what it is about the hygenist, but the only way I can describe it is like being back at school waiting for a telling off from the teacher.
'What brush do you use?'
'What toothpaste do you use?'
'What floss do you use?'
All apparently answered correctly and followed by a huge sense of relief when the 20 something-year-old hygenist told me how good I've been in the tooth brushing and flossing department, which made me blush with pride and felt like I'd been awarded the class prize.
Ridiculous!
An hour or so in the dentist chair with Dr Chris, the dentist, chatting away at me (why do they do that?) and a couple of injections, saw an old filling removed and a new one ensconced. A very unpleasant process, but of course I do realise it could have been a whole lot worse than an old, cracked filling needing replaced.
And then it was off to the hygenist for an equally unpleasant time.
I don't know what it is about the hygenist, but the only way I can describe it is like being back at school waiting for a telling off from the teacher.
'What brush do you use?'
'What toothpaste do you use?'
'What floss do you use?'
All apparently answered correctly and followed by a huge sense of relief when the 20 something-year-old hygenist told me how good I've been in the tooth brushing and flossing department, which made me blush with pride and felt like I'd been awarded the class prize.
Ridiculous!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)