Black Boxes

Last night I had a lovely evening out at the launch of Caroline Smailes' new novel, Black Boxes, at Borders in Oxford Street. Sadly I couldn't make it in time to hear Caroline read, but she looked gorgeous and had a constant stream of customers at her signing table, while her husband and three beautiful children helped out amongst the guests.

It was rather like a bloggers reunion...lots of lovely Novel Racers, of course, including Liz on a flying visit back from the Middle East, but I also met Helen - who has written some great reviews for bookersatz - Sue Guiney and DJ Kirkby for the first time, all of whom were so friendly and it was great to see Sarah Salway again ( for those of you who don't know, Sarah co-edited the book Your Messages in which I got my first pieces published in print earlier this year).

Despite my lateness I arrived before the wine ran out and I came away with a signed copy of Black Boxes, which I am very much looking forward to reading. Having just done the OU E301 course, I now have an even greater appreciation of Caroline's style and how she has brought her linguistics background to play in her novel writing. It is all very clever, but those of you who have read any of Caroline's books will already know that!

Three notable things:

1. My end of course assessment for E301 is finished. I proofread it on the tube into London last night, put a few minor adjustments in this morning, will print it over the weekend and it will go on Monday. Hooray!

2. The results of all the tests my mother has been given are starting to come in. Nothing too awful yet but no firm conclusions either.

3. If you like knitting take a look at this new online shop, Cafe Knit. I think the website design is just beautiful.

Shopping on my mind

I'm starting to think about the dreaded Christmas shopping and am scouring the net for goodies.

I hope that a book will shortly be arriving from Susan Hill which will be my mother sorted (it's OK, she won't read this!)

I also have my eye on this book as a possibility for my father. He is not a great reader but is a keen gardener.

Son 1 seems to mainly want money. Son 2 is always a problem as there are so few things he enjoys, but a selection of videos/DVDs/CDs and some chocolate usually hits the mark.

Hubby will probably have his own ideas and as for me, I have ordered the two volumes of the Paris Review Interviews and I have my eye on a classic Penguin books mug, preferably the Virginia Woolf Room of One's Own mug which would match my purple themed writing accessories perfectly. I'll have to start dropping hints about that...

Three notable things:

1. A great coffee and catch up session with two friends yesterday...

2. Did I tell you I have started to knit a cardigan?

3. Doing the flash fiction on the Your Messages blog is increasing the hits to my own blog... and Sarah Salway has left a message here!

Weekend creativity

Just to prove that I can have some pretension to my new creative blogger award, here is a picture of the scarf I am knitting, which currently measures about 30 inches (75cm) long.

I found a free pattern for the feather and fan design on the web and although it looks complicated it is actually very easy to knit! For those who understand these things it is a simple pattern over four rows, knitted in hand-dyed BFL sock wool on 4.5mm needles.

Three notable things:

1. The speed at which the knitting is growing.

2. Finishing the Anita Shreve book I was reading on and off. One of her best, I thought.

3. Keeping both boys reasonably happy all day today (so far)!

Another poem

Some new work has recently been posted on WikidWords, including another of my poems which you can find here. That poem was inspired by the research I have done on mental health issues in young people, both for my recently ended Open University course and for family reasons, and also by a true story I was recently told.

Three notable things:

1.Surprisingly, Tesco was not too busy on a Saturday morning - so it was easy to park!

2. Enjoying walking round the shops in town without feeling the need to spend money on myself. Not even on a magazine.

3. I've started my knitting.

Oh my!

Hellojed has nominated me for a creative blogger award! How exciting is that?

So now it is my turn to award it to five people. After a really difficult decision-making process, because you, my favourite bloggers, are all so creative, I have come up with the following:

1. Anne Brooke, because Anne blogs with humour and brutal honesty about her life and the highs and lows of being a writer. It is a must-read for me every day and I think right now an award would cheer her up.

2.Three Beautiful Things. The concept of Clare's blog is so simple yet also profound. It has spawned many imitators (all welcomed) including my own three notable things. Now she has won a literary competition and the blog is going to become a loo book!

3.Nerd Bunny, who seems to be able to turn her hands to so many creative crafts and posts the results on her blog for us all to enjoy.

4.The fabulous Rilly Super at Strife in the North, whose blog never fails to make me laugh, simply because it is such a clever parody of the Wife in the North blog, which I also enjoy.

5.Last, but not least, I would like to nominate my wonderfully talented fellow OU A215 creative writing students of last year, many of whom also now blog. There are far too many to mention individually, so I shall give the award to WikidWords and hope that Jude will accept it on behalf of those writers represented there and those elsewhere.


Three notable things:

1. Winning a blog award. Thanks Hellojed!

2. Choosing five more creative blogs to receive the award.

3. Oh and did I already say winning a blog award?

The postman's knock

I needed a little treat today after son 2 decided to start my day at 5.30am. So I was pleased when my sari silk yarns from eBay arrived in the post. They are very pretty but unfortunately I think they are probably too thick for the purpose I had in mind. Still they will not go to waste. I will either think of somthing else to knit or crochet with them, something chunkier, or I will use them in my papercrafting.

Then mid-morning the doorbell rang and a parcel from The Book People was handed over. Some reference books and a pile of sale priced fiction. So if you'll excuse me I am off for a quick read...

Three notable things:

1. The beautiful weather over the weekend, though it was actually too hot whilst ironing yesterday.

2. A refreshing mango drink in Starbucks on Saturday afternoon.

3. Receiving our child tax credits notification and realising that they have got it wrong yet again, even though they have been informed of a change in circumstances twice already. Fortunately it is unlikely to make any difference to what we get paid, but the tax credits people must rival the Child Support Agency for incompetence!

What have I done now...?

Yesterday I got a sudden urge to knit or crochet something. I'm not sure why, I have never been a good knitter and I haven't crocheted for years.

I was stuck in all day, so whilst surfing around eBay I started to look at some hand dyed yarns. Very pretty. But what could I do with them?

Years ago, whilst spending the year abroad of my degree in Germany, where knitting was more fashionable than it was in the UK, I knitted a couple of sweaters. They were very basic, but the wool was fluffy and soft-coloured. They were wearable, at least for a student.

Pregnant with son 1, I knitted a few baby items. Even my mother, who is not known for her needle skills, picked up her pins and produced some much needed premature-sized cardigans. But it was my clever sister who came up trumps with the most beautiful and complex knitted heirloom baby shawl.

When son 1 was small I knitted a few trendy jackets for him in primary-coloured baby aran, but by the time son 2 came along I had no time. I knitted nothing further until two years ago, when I picked up a kit for a very simple fluffy scarf. I started it during our family holiday in Devon, but son 2 kept pulling it back faster than I could knit. It was never finished as the wool became rather mangled.

I was up until 1am last night looking for patterns on the web. This morning I succumbed and ordered some of the hand dyed wools. This evening I have ordered some yarn created from recycled sari silk which I hope will blend in. Not large quantities of either, but hopefully enough to create a scarf.

But don't hold your breath.This wool may just end up clogging up the spare bedroom with the rest of my craft stash...

Three notable things:

1. Ordering some colourful yarns to indulge my creative urges and experiment with.

2. Working out why I could not get the symbol writing computer program to do what I wanted (I use it to produce communication cards for Son 2.)

3. Reading a lovely description of the challenges and joys of living with an autistic child on Crystal Jigsaw's blog.