Friday 14 May 2010

Looky Looky Look!

At my word counter, that is - 1000 words/day this week, 15,000 total. Go me!

It's been a much saner week, on the whole. I did have two unexpected disputes to deal with, in different areas of my work, that I could have done without. I wasn't on the receiving end of either dispute, but in both I was in a position to help with conflict resolution, which meant I had to deploy tact. I don't really do tact, and I now know that it's particularly hard when I want to bang people's silly heads together.

The other thing that's been slightly taxing is that a number of my friends seem to be having horrible problems and are in need of support and TLC. I've got two relationship breakdowns (and in one, I'm friends with both people), two dying fathers, two major health problems, one imminent redundancy, and a family rift. There are probably others but those are the people I'm providing most support to right now. Odd how these things come in phases, isn't it?

On the plus side, it's Friday, and I have three girlfriends coming for dinner tonight, all of whom are happy right now. I've planned a fab menu: smoked salmon and cream cheese canapes (with extra-dry Prosecco to drink); mixed vegetable gratin (leek, butternut squash, cauliflower and spinach) with ricotta custard and Parmesan, and steamed new potatoes with fresh mint (and organic Shiraz); chocolate chunk lemon drizzle cake with creme fraiche (and Muscat de Beaumes de Venise). Ooh I'm so looking forward to it!

Then I have a quiet weekend ahead. I have a meeting tomorrow afternoon, and I need to go to the gym at some point, but the rest of the time will be spent writing and studying. I'm hoping to churn out another 5000 words of my book this weekend, 2500 per day; not sure whether I can, but it's worth a try. I also need to do one book submission and several short story submissions; critique six short stories for my short story group; and critique two chapters of a book for a friend. And I would like to make a start on my OU accounting course, as the course materials arrived on Wednesday - I'm trepidatious about this, but I know I'll feel better once I get going.

A weekend which is mostly devoted to writing and studying is my idea of a good weekend. What's your idea of a good weekend? Whatever it is, I hope you've got one coming up.

12 comments:

Pat said...

Boringly having my # son plus two pretty grown up kids (with lots of their own interests now)and just chilling, walking, eating, drinking and chewing the fat.
Your meal sounds to die for.

Sherri said...

Sounds like a plan.
Hope you have a great time.

I'm hoping it'll be dry enough to get at the garden this weekend. I do have a garden, I think - somewhere under the weeds if I remember correctly.

Anonymous said...

After reading that, I'm absolutely starving!

Well done on your productive writing week. I'm just having a quite one this weekend.

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

Well done on that brilliant word count. Go you!

I love the sound of all that food and I'm sure you'll all have a great time together.

This weekend I'm finishing checking my edits and resubmitting my novel. Then I'm going to read and relax. Big sigh.

HelenMWalters said...

That doesn't *sound* like a very quiet weekend, but it does sound like a good one.

Jenny Beattie said...

Wow, what a stonkingly good wordcount.

Your food... yum yum yum. Any ideas for what to do with leeks that don't involve cheese sauce or leek and pot soup?

You've also been a very lovely to 'friend currently living in a war zone' too. Thank you.

Jumbly Girl said...

Well done on the word count - that's great going. Hope your evening went well - it certainly sounded promising. Descrip of food fantastic - really can't wait til SAF meet up (intending to bring cake by the way).

This weekend has been pretty perfect so far - building chicken shed with the neighbours and 'saluting' the finished article with bottles of Landlord beer - funny how sometimes things are just 'right'

Lane Mathias said...

My idea of a perfect weekend would definitely include your menu. So good I had to read it twice:-)

Excellent word count. Well done m'dear.

Queenie said...

Thanks, all! The food was fab, if I do say so myself, my co-dweller and I finished the cake last night, yum. Didn't get much writing done, despite all my lofty plans, but I had a good time - hope you all did too. (JumblyG, see discussion on forum about bringing stuff, and if you still want to bring cake, please let me know what kind so I don't make the same one!)

Jen said...

Oh dear, I was swooning so much at your menu, I forgot to comment last time I read this!

Hope you were suitably foodified and starting this week with oodles of oomph.

Beleaguered Squirrel said...

"I don't really do tact"

That's partly why I like you so much! Very g;ad that for once it's not me in need of TLC though.

PS Salmon!

PPS Newps and fresh mint! I demand that you cook that for me next time I'm there. Now that my gran no longer cooks I never get fresh mint on my newps any more.

Queenie said...

Spiral, I did indeed start the week with oodles of oomph, but on Monday afternoon I came down with a horrid lurgy and am only just beginning to recover :(

BS, I'm glad it's not you, too! Happy to do you minted newps next time you come, can also dig up a mint plant for you to take home if you like, then you could do your own - it's v v v easy to grow.