What the internet should be used for.

Okay, I saw this on Neil Gaiman's journal, but it is such a good cause that it would be wrong if I didn't jump on the bandwagon, or bookwagon as the case may be.

Over the last few days a fair number of authors and bloggers have been bringing to the attention of their readers a book debut; The Liar's Diary by Patry Francis.

The book was released two days ago, but unfortunately for Patry she cannot do the promotion for the book as she is recovering from cancer treatment. The people who have heard Patry's story have joined forces and launched a massive internet promotion for her book through their blogs and websites. I think that this is just amazing, that authors and bloggers alike are supporting her by advertising her book.

So, after that, go out and buy the book. I know I will.

Why did Achilles have to have a heel, and why on earth did he pass it on to the rest of us?

I can't help it. And I know I must stop, if only to give me a chance to enjoy those which I already have. But I looooovvvvveee them soooooo much. The feel of them. The differing weights of them. The smell of them. The appearance of them. How they take up those specific areas on the shelves. Damn those evil books!

I can't stop buying them. And seeing as how I have managed to pass the book thing on to Principessa, I give myself an excuse to buy books by buying them for her. Addicted, I am.

I have so many books that I have bought in the last few months I need to read. I have books I bought years ago that I haven't got around to reading because I bought other books that took priority. I am running out of space to put new books, but I can't stop myself from buying another one here or there. And Amazon have a lot to answer for... Buy more than £15 of stuff and get free delivery. The delivery charge on one or two books is usually enough to buy another book, so I can bear the extra few days wait to buy that extra book and qualify for the free delivery. Talk about circles with teeth.

When I get a new book, I can't help myself but take a dip in the new words on those new pages. This usually results in putting down the book I am reading at that time, and most of the time it means that the book that is being read gets put down and never picked up again, losing out to the new, shiny words.

So today I received 'The Ode Less Travelled' by Stephen Fry, 'Plato And A Platypus Walk Into A Bar' by Cathcart and Klein, a rhyming dictionary for me, and a rhyming dictionary for Principessa. (Not that she's taken much notice of it yet, she is far too busy watching Over The Hedge for the umpteenth time. The only thing she has wanted to read today is my t-shirt. It says 'Red Hot Chili Peppers' on it. It's a start, I suppose!)

I have flicked through the rhyming dictionary to see how to use it. For the moment I have ignored 'Plato And A Platypus...', but I couldn't help but delve into 'Ode...'. I still haven't finished 'Jane Eyre', and I am nowhere close to getting started on 'Wide Sargasso Sea' - and I have to read that for my course. Why can't I stay concentrated?

And it's all over.

Bah! Tsonga didn't win. I was really hoping he would. In the end, Djokovic deserved the win as he kept his head better. Such a pity though. I suppose there'll be plenty of other chances for Tsonga, he just needs these experiences to know what to expect next time around.

'Twas a great match, never the less, and after the first set I did think that Tsonga might win. Both of them played some brilliant shots, but Tsonga made far too many errors. Was close, though!

I ended up watching the Chronicles of Riddick last night. I didn't like Pitch Black, but I liked Chronicles. I liked the idea of the Necromongers. Yep, I think I might watch that one again with a little more concentration.

I have now heard from the tutor for my OU course. Kirst and I can now send off our TMA's (tutor marked assignments). I'm just hoping there can be something sorted out for going to the tutorials. I'm not sure I'll be able to get there in the wheelchair. Poop!

On writing - I might have discovered a way out of the slump. I have started scribbling ideas down for the story I began for the NaNo, and something in the first chapter or so might need a little reworking, but I'm feeling more optimistic about it again. The idea for fixing the rut seemed to come steamrollering into my head this morning just after the tennis finished. I have no clue as to what flicked the switch, but I'm glad it did!

Grandand is just getting Principessa ready to go out with him to the shops, so I might just go upstairs and do some studying. I need to get my head around the Art History part of the OU course. Argh!

Isn't it strange when co-incidence happens?

Yeah, it's just been happening to me. Remember I said that I'd written a poem that had a Doctor Who influence? Well, I have just been trawling blogs when I came across this blog. This post made me immediately think of the poem because of its mention of aliens and angels as interchangeable forms in science fiction and fantasy stories. I said I might post it up, so here it is, though it is still in draft form:


Abyss, gazing.

Through a crack in
time, another broken body falls.
Entrail-like demons
lassoo candyfloss clouds in
a vain attempt to gain
purchase on another precipice,
as they weave black and twisted
webs in the star-
mottled dream cloth of the fates.

In the abyss, deities
cry tears for long lost pawns.
Marionette strings
cut, the body is freed from
chains. Broken links ensnare
flailing demons, allowing
self-reflection in the forest
in the valley of the
disillusioned.

Bonny wanderer - distinguish
your guide and your seducer.
One man's angel is
another man's alien, both
a seraph falling - perpetual,
abysmal darkness. Hermes
of an eternal throne,
take to wing-ed heel and run
through wicked skies and knowledgeable trees;
a chaos branch will lead
to fragments of Gallifrey.
© A. Tresidder 2008

So there you go. Strange.

In sports-type news; Maria Sharapova beat Ana Ivanovic. Bah! I was hoping that Ivanovic would pull the rabbit out of the hat and win her first slam. Still, two grand slam finals in the last year, that's not bad going!

In the ice skating, the Kerrs did not get a medal. Bah! Sinead had a bit of a slip that cost them, but saying that, the couples that finished above them were better. So I don't have any qualms about that.

Interesting final.

So Djokovic knocked Federer out of the Aussie Open in straight sets. That was the scenario I was hoping for. It's about time that a grand slam final was Federer-less! I think the last time that happened was at the French Open in 2005. I now have the Tsonga/Djokovic match to look forward to on Sunday morning. The women's final is being shown at 2.30am, so I will have to watch a repeat. Sleep is more important!

The ice skating has been fun to watch. Tomáš Verner won gold, which I was pleased about. Stephane Lambiel came second and Brian Joubert came third. I like watching all three skate, Lambiel is fantastic at spins, Joubert is usually just brilliant (not last night, though!), and Verner just attacks the program and never does less than 100%. He definitely deserved the win. I'm looking forward to watching the free dance in the ice dance competition tonight. I'm hoping that John and Sinead Kerr will do well, and hopefully jump two places to finish in 3rd.

Apart from enjoying all the sports, I seem to have hit a bit of a low. Not feeling quite so chirpy today. *Sigh* I hate it when days of lowness creep up on me and smack me in the face with a kipper. I just feel so despondent, and it is so hard putting on a happy face to try to hide it from Principessa. I would love to bury myself in my duvet and hide away until it passes, but there is no possible way that I can. I can only wait for the pressure that builds up at the front of my head to die away, and that sinking feeling in my gut to resurface. No point trying to do any writing or anything in general when I'm like this. Ho hum.

Possessed!

He's at it again! Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is just a fantastic player. He is battering Nadal at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I love watching Nadal play too, but over the last few years where it has been just Nadal and Federer at the top it did get a bit boring. But now we have Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Tsonga. That makes all the difference.

(Right now, Tsonga is 2 sets up and 5-2 in the third. I can't see him losing this. BRB, have to watch this now!)

Match Point! ... And gets it with an ace! Absolutely stunning! Take that, Rafa! Sorry, ever since seeing Tsonga play for the first time I've been waiting to see what he can do. Smacking Nadal down in the semi-final of the Aussie Open is just an amazing achievement. Wow!

Principessa has been bitten by the tennis bug, too. She dug out her little Wilson racket and one of the red tennis training balls and we spent about half an hour to fortyfive minutes playing thow and hit. To begin with I was counting to three so she knew when the ball was coming to her, then I stopped counting and let her practice keeping her eye on the ball. She did quite well.

She made me laugh yesterday. She was playing with her back to me on the floor in front of my chair. I noticed that she was trying to take the paper off a crayon, so I told her to stop. She turned around, jumped up on my knee and said;

"Silly Mummy!"

She grabbed my face in her hands, and she had a weird smell on her fingers. I said;

"Eugh! Your hands smell! What have you been eating?"

"Crayons," she said.

Hmmm, honesty!

Still not going anywhere with the story writing, but poetry is a different matter. I suddenly seem very inspired to write poems. I started writing one last night about abysses and demons, and it ended up having a feel of Doctor Who with the appearance of fragments of Gallifrey in there. Took me muchly by surprise as I wasn't thinking of that when I started writing. I am going to sit and work through it later and tidy it up a bit. I might even post it up here.

I need a cuppa fennel tea.

Plays like a demon!

I love watching Jo-Wilfried Tsonga play tennis. That's all there is to it! The match against Mikhail Youzny this morning was fantastic. He is fearless when he plays, and I know I have said that before, but it's so true! I think, with all the confidence he has built for himself over the last week, he should give Nadal a run for his money. I really can't wait to watch that match (though I probably wont be able to as it will most likely be on in the early hours of the morning).

The ice-skating is on now. Something else I like to watch. I just hope that the Kerrs will do well in the European Champs.

I was made up this morning to find that there are people who actually read my blog. Thank you!

(Okay, I know I have the neocounter widget (isn't widget a fantastic word? Makes me think of an old John Smiths advert; Widget, it's got a widget, a lovely widget. A widget it has got!), but you don't know from that if anyone stops to read, or if they just surf past.)

I stayed up last night, hoping to watch some of the early matches, only to find that Eurosport were playing repeats of the Federer/Berdych match. I humphily began flicking through the channels, and ended up on Beeb One watching the movie 'Remember The Titans'. I've never taken the time to watch it before, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. I think I probably missed the first half hour, but that didn't take away from the rest of the film. I like fact-based films simply for their reality factor.

Well, I'm off now to read some books with Principessa (or rather, just one book, the book she calls the little book. It is called 'The History Of English' and traces back the origin of the English language. She likes the literary darlekects!), and then we will watch Shower Doctor Who (otherwise known as New Earth).

More excitement and disappointment.

In the tennis, that is. I watched the Ivanovic/Wozniaki match last night. I'd heard of Caroline Wozniaki as she had won the Liverpool tournament two years ago, so I was interested to see how she played. The first set was a complete whitewash, the score 6-1 to Ivanovic. In the second set Wozniaki changed. She was not the same player. She really tested Ivanovic, taking her to a tie break. She played some really fantastic shots, and she's definitely someone to watch over the coming years.

I am still collating my poetry. I've got poems written in books all over the place, so I'm trying to find them all. I've got poems dating back to 1991. Once I've got them all sorted out I'll ask Kirst and Gaz to read through them and pick a few, and I'll put them all together and send them out to the Templar Poetry competition. Let's see if anything happens.

Principessa was a funny girl this morning. She was still sleeping at 9am, so I woke her up. She jumped up in bed, pulled her dodie from her mouth and said;

"Oh dear! I have sloppy chops! I have to dried off, Mummy Fish!"

Don't know why I became Mummy Fish this morning. Maybe it was because Principessa was pretending to be a fish in the bath yesterday.

She was also very caring today. She came downstairs with Nanny in tow, calling for our cat Molly. Then Nanny and Principessa went into the kitchen, got a fork and a tin of cat food, and Principessa fed the cat. She was very upset with Molly when she wouldn't go and eat her food (probably because I get upset with Principessa when she refuses to eat), then she was happy when Molly went to eat, then she was again upset when Molly got upset with her bugging her while she ate!

Oooh, talking of Nanny... or Mum where I am concerned. Mum sent an email to the Alkazi Foundation to ask if they could send us copies of some of the photos they hold in the Tressider album. They got back to her this morning telling her that they would ask the Foundation's owner about her request, that an answer would take a few days, but that the answer may well be positive. They also said something about how it was a fortunate time for the contact. Sounds intriguing!

More Japanalia, with extra Marmite.

My mate, Marmite. You either love it or hate it. I love Marmite.

Japan Vs Marmite; I'm surprised at the ration of people how liked it to those who hated it. Most times out of ten you'll find people hate it.

I so need to learn to speak Japanese.

'Cos I'm missing out on stuff like this;



I really like this band, but I don't understand!

Exciting tennis match.

Wow! What a match! Who'd have thought Janko Tipsaravic could take Roger Federer to 5 sets and four and a half hours and nearly win the match! As much as I enjoy watching Federer play, I would have loved to see Tipsaravic beat him. It would have been fantastic. You've got to feel for poor Janko after that.

This morning, I found a site that, I suppose you could say showcased, a short story by Haruki Murakami. It's an interesting way to display a story (just click on the illustrations to read through the story). The story itself is really good too. I think I will be reading a lot by Murakami-san.

I have started organising my poetry. I am just transcribing stuff I have in books onto the computer. I think 2008 should be the year I start sending things out to competitions, magazines, whatever. I missed the opportunity to send the LRRH short story out, as I hadn't finished rewriting it before the submission closing date. I'll try and find somewhere else to send it though.

Bloody Torchwood!

I'm so glad it's back. I missed it. And it has added attractions now, in the form of James Marsters (Spike from Buffy). I have to admit, he was looking quite good ;) I did feel that there was a big nod to Buffy with some lines in the new episode, and the Jack/John fight/kiss scene was very reminiscent of the Buffy/Spike fight/sex scene in the Buffy S6 episode 'Smashed'. There seems to be a lot more humour in it too, and I like the idea of a running storyline. The first series, although there were underlying stories that ran throughout, had episodes that were more stand alone. But I'm glad it's back, sports car driving blowfish and all.

Kirst was around today. We're not actually going to read each other's essays now, Kirst doesn't want to be influenced by what I have put in my essay. We also checked to see if her course materials had been sent out to her only to find out that DHL has supposedly tried to deliver them on 21 December. Well, how was Kirst meant to know when no card had been left? Anyway, DHL has sent the parcel back to the OU, so we had to contact them to have the stuff sent back out again. We also sent an email to find out when they were assigning us with a tutor, too. It's all a bit like pulling teeth at the mo.

Had a bit of a crap evening last night. The controller on my chair riser broke, leaving me without a seat in the front room. We called Social Services careline to report the fault, but it still left me stranded and having to sit upstairs in my room. Despite this, Principessa was very good this morning, sitting upstairs happily watching her DVD's on her little portable player, while every now and again jumping on the bed for a cuddle and requesting tickles. Strange girl! The Social called at around 10am to let us know that someone would be around to fix the chair riser at around midday. *Phew* is all I can say, I am glad that they fixed it so fast. I hate being stuck upstairs.

I still haven't done much writing. I seem to have completely locked out novel and story writing, but I have written a few poems, so I suppose all is not lost. I am glad to see that other writers do not write things that are meant to be full of symbolism. I don't think about underlying messages when I write and just write what I feel is right for the story. I found this out when I sent an excerpt from one of the stories in progress to a Japanese friend. When she wrote back to me, she told me what she thought of my writing, and what she thought it symbolised. It was so interesting to see what she had read into what I had written. It made me feel really good!

I have been reading a lot of Wil Wheaton's blog recently. Not only is it a good read, but it's interesting to see that he shares a lot of the same writing frustrations as lowly folk like me!

On the reading front, I am doing lots. I thought it was a more positive way to fill time while not finding the spirit of writing within me. Pygmalion is finished, I'm part way through 'Jane Eyre' and the Sandman graphic novel 'The Doll's House', and I have two Haruki Murakami books to read once I'm done with the other stuff. Then I'll have a read of 'Wide Sargasso Sea', the Sandman graphic novel 'Dream Country' and then Euripides 'Medea'.

*Phew!* That'll give me something to do!

Travels in time.

Since Christmas, Principessa has once again become enthralled to the Doctor of Who. At least four episodes every day. She is finally out of the Daleks and Cyberman phase, where we had to watch the respective episodes over and over and over again (and as we only have access to series two of the new Doctor, we only have four episodes). So today we are watching Dancing Doctor Who (otherwise known as The Girl In The Fireplace) and Chips and School Doctor Who (otherwise known as School Reunion). I love how Principessa changes the titles, although sometimes it is hard for me to decipher her code names!

I am made up that she loves Doctor Who (to the point where, about seven months ago, she actually said "Mummy, I love Doctor Who."), and she has even been watching some of the Tom Baker ones that have been replayed on UKTV Gold. But she still loves the Daleks more. "Mummy, I really like the Daleks," she said yesterday. I have to agree though, after all, they were given some of the best lines ever in Doomsday. I still laugh when the Dalek says "This is not war. This is pest control," when facing off against the Cybermen. In the words of Christopher Ecclestone's Doctor (possibly one of the worst Doctors, ever), fantastic!

I am very much looking forward to tomorrow evening. Torchwood starts again. Woohoo. Not so much travels in time than travels in Cardiff. But whatever, it is still all good. I am hoping that, now the foundation of the first series has been laid, the second series will be amazing.

Woohoo! Finally started on essay.

Okay, so it's only a 500 word essay, but at least I have the first draft done. I think it sounds all right, but we shall see. (When I think about it, I can easily talk myself out of believing it actually answers the question.) Kirst is popping round today, and we are going to read over each others essays, and hopefully they will both be okay. Then we will go all techno and work out how to submit the damn things!

Principessa has become so mouthy of late. I really don't know what has gotten into her. Mouthy and stubborn. Not great character traits... Well, stubborn can be in certain situations, but not in the situations Principessa is stubborn in. She is driving me up the wall! And the MD makes it that much harder to sort out when she is in a difficult mood.

I've now read the first two books of The Black Orchid series. I must have been distracted when reading them, I don't actually remember what happened. I will have to start over. Poo! I didn't even get to Jane Eyre. I have picked up Pygmalion instead. I'm about half way through, so I'll finish the first read of that today. Then maybe I'll do Jane Eyre, or I might just go straight to Wide Sargasso Sea. I'll see how I'm feeling.

Over the past week I have been trying to work around a prequel to the LRRH (Little Red Riding Hood) story. I am having trouble working out which point of view (POV) to use, and whose POV to use. Sometimes I think Rosie's POV would work, but then I get stuck on how to twist the story. Then I think maybe I should use the Wolf's POV, but then it's not about Rosie. Struggling, I am.

On tennis news, there is no further British interest in the Aussie Open. Andy Murray was almost comprehensively beaten (his third set was good, he won the set 6-0, but he had his butt whooped in the other three sets) by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. I thought he might get beaten, there is something about the way Tsonga plays, like he is possessed. The other Brit (Scot really) was Jamie Baker, but he stood no chance against Ivo Karlovic. Both are out in the first round. Ho hum.

(Principessa is whinging upstairs because Nanny has kicked her off the computer. All I can hear is "It's my computer," "No, it's my computer!" "Do as you're told" "But I am not naughty" drifting down the stairs. Bolshy Principessa.)

Little Miss D.I.Y.

"We going to B and Q?" Principessa asks.

"No, not today. We're going home now," I say.

"Nope, nope, nope, nope."

"Yep, yep, yep, yep."

"Nope, nope, nope!"

"What do you want to go to B and Q for anyway?"

"To get a screwdriver."

"What do you want a screwdriver for?"

"To fix things."

"What do you want to fix?"

"Walls."

"Why do you want to fix the walls?"

"I want to take the walls down."

"But if you take the walls down, the house will fall down."

"Oh. But I need a screwdriver."

It's a good job technology hasn't got teeth...

Because it sucks. And it sucks big time.

We finally went 21st century with the V+ box, only to find that a number of the channels don't work. What really gets my goat is that More 4 has died, that means I wont be able to watch the new series of ER which started last night. Grrrrr! I've already had to give up with Lost and 24 because Sky 1 was rudely taken from us after a horrible and needless fight between Virgin and Sky.

Ho hum.

(I know this moan is about something really mundane, but being of the not going out type, except when it's necessary, I like to watch me TV shows!)

While I remember, you may have noticed a flashy mouse over thataway ------------>
Well, please sign up to it and raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign by using their search engine (given, it's not as good as google, but google doesn't raise money just by clicking it), it would mean a great deal :D

Well, I'm off to finally read Black Orchid followed by Jane Eyre.

And the bed nearly folded me in half!

Well, kind of.

I had to go to a disability place called Lifehouse today. They had asked me to go to try out a profile bed. That is a bed that rises, has an adjustable backrest, and the bottom bit rises up just under the knees so that your legs are a little more comfy. Well, 'twas strange. I've agreed to them providing me with one, but it will take some getting used to. I know it will be of benefit in the long term, but I really don't like all this motorised stuff.

While I was there they had me try a spring seat. It didn't help because I haven't got enough mobility to allow it to begin to lift me up. They also tried me with this belt hoist that is supposed to help my Dad when lifting me. If I had more strength in the back of my legs and around my knees it might have helped, but as I don't it didn't.

It's not very nice, not knowing of things that can help with transfers and stuff, and it makes me feel quite bad when someone suggests something that I know wont work. I feel bad when they suggest something that might work and I have to say "Yeah, but it would only work in conjunction with ...". I feel like I'm being ungrateful or reluctant to help myself. Harrumph!

One thing I can say, Principessa was absolutely fantastic while we were there. We found a box of toys in the reception that we took into the test room, so while I was trying things out she lay on the floor and played quietly with the toys. Just as we started getting ready to leave she put the toys neatly back in the box and said "It's time to go home." She is just brilliant. I would love it if she would tidy her toys up at home, though!

"But my bum is too small!"

Don't you just wish you could say that? Well, that is Principessa's new moan for when she doesn't want to do as she is told. "I can't because my bum is too small!" What can you say to that? Not only that but she put her jeans on before, which in itself is fantastic, but they're on back to front! She makes me laugh!

She is a genius at work. She is starting to tell more stories now and I love it. The only thing is, they are always about Captain DJ. I am so sick of hearing about Captain DJ. But she is inventing characters too. The other day she told me about the Wire Cat. That sounds like an interesting character. But he seems to be an angry cat, as he wags his tail and scares Captain DJ away.

Over the last few weeks I have been reading the blog by the writer Elizabeth Bear. I think I must have found it on the SF/F Writers Who Blog page. I seem to check in at her blog about two to three times a day now. I am totally immersed in her writing bubble (I just wish some of her motivation and shiny would rub off onto me!) and some of the writing advice she gives is spot on. I think I might have to read a book by her now (I am ashamed to say that I had not heard of her before) because if her fiction is anywhere as good as her blog, then it has to be good!

My Little Terror

No, it's not what you think. Principessa is watching Charlie and Lola at the moment and she's watching one of her favourite episodes called 'My Little Town'. I don't know why, but Principessa is insistent that it is called 'My Little Terror'. I suppose, given the fact that Charlie is very selfish in the episode and doesn't give Lola a chance to play with the game that their grandparents gave them, it could seem like a little terror to Principessa. When she plays with other kids she is very happy to share (though not if she's playing with me or Nan or Grandand, then everything is hers alone!), so she probably feels that Charlie is terrorising Lola. Or maybe I am just looking too deeply into this!

I have started to do a write around for the problems in my story. (Dagnamit! I had some weird dreams last night and I didn't write them down when they woke me up. I just went straight back to sleep.) I think I might be getting somewhere in resolving the problems. With the help of a book on Celtic tree beliefs there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. It's possible going to take a few more days of working around but I think I might just get there.

Just lately, Neil Gaiman has been talking about Teller (of Penn and Teller fame) and his plans to do a very gory and with magic version of the Scottish Play. It sounds so interesting that I wish I could go and see it. It sucks to be stuck here! I wonder if they will film a showing and put it on DVD? I hope so, it sounds so intriguing!

Writing help.

Firstly, before the writing stuff, I want to say this. At the moment my heart goes out to a friend of a friend who is experiencing a really horrible and life-numbing situation. At times like this there are no words of comfort to ease the pain. My thoughts are with her and her family and friends.

Now for the writing stuff.

I was pointed (well, not personally) to this post about rewriting through various blogs I read every now and again. I think it is very interesting and thought provoking. It is also very useful for a newbie writer like myself. It informs of the importance of starting a story from the right point to gain maximum impact, and how structural editing should be done before line editing. There is a lot of other useful information in the article. I know I shall be referring back to it as I get further into writing.

If that further happens. The evil demons No'Confidence and Whoderyer Thinkyakidding have reared their ugly stepsister faces. My words have been captured and imprisoned in a damp, dark dungeon (can you see the Warden of Alliteration whipping my exposed back?). The hero, Pen, with his sidekick Woodpulp, is nowhere to be seen. Their stand-in, Com Puter, is feeling the vicious, blinding rage of Blank Page. Who will save me from my wordless fate?

ARGH!

Now for the tennis news.

Andy Murray won the Doha final. Yay him! It was a really good match, dependent on a deciding set. Stanislas Wawrinka really put him through the wringer, and some of the rallies were exceptional. Let's hope he carries this form into the Aussie Open.

I don't want to be a secret.

So, Principessa was getting ready to go out to the shops with Grandand and Auntie Linds when Grandand tried to put her (well, mine really) hat on. As he put it on her head it covered her eyes.

"But I don't want to be a secret," she said.

How cute can you get? Grandand took the hat from over her eyes, but by that time Principessa wanted to be secret. She put the hat back over her eyes and then tried feeling her way out into the hall. Sweet little soul!

I am just settling down to watch the Murray/Wawrinka final. At the mo it's 1-1 in the first set, both players winning their game off the back of the other's serve. For some reason, I don't have much hope of Murray winning. Wawrinka seems to be on such good form.

I think I'll sign off here. My yummy scrummy stuffed vine leaves should be cool enough to eat now.

Families who grow in trees!

Over the last few months my Mum has been doing some family tree building. For the last month, she has been concentrating on my Dad's Dad's side of the family.

This picture is of (L-R) Johnny, Annie and Rosie. Johnny (or John Tolmie) is my great, great grandfather. The resemblance between him and my bro, Gaz, is remarkable. His father was John Nicholas Tresidder, and he was a surgeon in the esteemed Indian Medical Services in the 1840's-70's.

My Mum found the picture in a collection on this website that holds the 'Tressider Album'. It makes me wonder if the website has spelled the name wrong, or is the name changed from Tressider to Tresidder at some other point.

The family history is interesting. My Granddad's mother was involved in a suicide pact, only she survived and her husband (her 2nd husband that is) died. If it hadn't have been for a newspaper report about it, she would not have seen my Granddad (who she nicknamed 'Squibs') after a ten year gap. I don't know what the reason for the separation was.

Well, enough family history for now. Principessa had a strange turn last night just before she went to sleep. She started talking about 'a man' and then she became really freaked out. This is what she was saying.

"The man is coming. The man is sleeping. He dreams lots of dreams. The man is coming. I don't want the man to come, I don't wan the man to come. He is a nasty man."

So, to help her calm down and go to sleep, I had to make a protection spell for her. By this time she was very worried and crying, hugging right up next to me and holding on as tight as she could. Here is the poem (or spell! * denotes the change from her name).

*Principessa's protection spell.

Nasty man,
Prepare thyself!
My spell is harmful
To your health.
In children's sleep
You cause them harm,
You haunt their dreams,
You steal their calm.
It's time for you
To sleep the sleep.
You shall not make
My baby weep.
My love for *her
Is pure and true.
Be gone! Cruel man,
Away with you!

© A. Tresidder 2008

At least it helped her to sleep. Poor babes!

Oh no, not the bones!

Principessa and I started reading a book on the human body yesterday. As we read through, we reached the page concerning the skeleton. One of the interactive parts of the page had a spinning circle with different foods on, and the legend 'Eating different types of food helps the bones to grow strong and healthy'. We looked through the different foods and Principessa seemied to be quite interested and excited about it.

"That's why it's important to eat your dinner," I said.

"No Mummy, I don't like to eat me dinner," Principessa said.

"But eating food helps your bones to grow."

"But I don't like to eat bones."

And there you have it.

I have started working on the war poetry part of my OU prep material. It's interesting how different I see the poetry now, as to when I was 14 studying it in school. The poems hold much more of an impact now, especially as I understand a bit more about poetry and have stopped to listen about people's experiences in the war. When we studied war poetry in school I wasn't very interested. I did not read or write poems then, and I did not want to look too keen in school as I was being bullied anyway. So I distanced myself . (I did this a year later when my English teacher tried to get me to read Romeo And Juliet after I used a passage from the play in a short story for a piece of coursework. If course, I said no. I didn't want to be targeted for doing extra work.) I wish I had taken the time to read the poems properly back then, and do other things that may have been beneficial for me.

Andy Murray continues his good form, despite a blip in the first set of his second match. He won yesterday's match 1-6 6-0 6-1. Good stuff. He might have more of a fight on his hands today. He goes up against Thomas Johansson.

I think I need to write down the ideas I have late at night. I have so many starts of stories, or ideas for middles, just before I go to sleep. I don't write them down though, because it is so hard to get up. I will have to start though, because I am doing myself out of some good ideas and, possibly, good writing. Stupid me.

The first of the year.

So what's to say about New Year? Nowt, really. Took Principessa to bed at around 7.30pm, then stayed in bed for a while because I was feeling ill. When the bleurghness subsided I went back downstairs and played on the Wii for a while with my Dad. And that was about the sum of things.

Andy Murray started his tennis campaign for the year with a fantastic 6-0 6-2 win over Olivier Rochus. Unfortunately Elena Baltacha did not win her match. So still, no decent female British players. Pah.

So now the year has begun, what are my goals? Hmmm, I've been thinking about that today.

1. Lose some weight (have to sort out a plan of action for this one.)
2. Cut out chocolate. Argh, I loves me choccie!
3. Kick drinking coffee again.
4. Get Principessa into some sort of bedtime routine.
5. Buy a printer/scanner/photocopier so I can start Principessa with some Jolly Phonics stuff.
6. Relax a bit more, and don’t get intimidated by the Open Uni course.

As for writing;

1. Write at least 7000 words per month on the novel.
2. Write one short story per month (I need to start working on short story inspiration).
3. Write poetry when and where the mood suits.
4. Update the journal at least three times a week.
5. Write down as many of my crazy dreams as I can.

And that is that. I might even attempt to write some book reviews. That might even help me with my uni course. So, if I keep to the plans, then I should have the first draft of the novel written by around October. Let's see how I go.