Deadlines

What is it about deadlines that make me want to clean my house?? Devil in the Clouds is due to go to my editor on Friday. I'm doing a final read through before then and have found loads I want to change and correct. I'll be very busy for a few days.

After DITC is gone, I plan to dust off Allie's Return and finish the first draft! I'd like to have that completed before 1st November. I want November free for NaNoWriMo. I haven't a project in mind, but I'm sure I'll scare up something before then. Hopefully!!

Feeling a bit like Calvin today!

Has anyone a plan for NaNoWriMo yet?

Summer Holidays

We've had a few unsettled weeks here on the east coast of Ireland. Every second day seems to be nice, but there is no telling how the day will pan out. Not unusual to see people walking around sweating in coats and encumbered by golf umbrellas. I'm hopeful we will have a nice summer though. 

Beth gets her holidays at the end of this month. Then she has two months off before she begins Junior Infants. I'm excited to see her in a little pinafore and out of the tracksuit uniform of the pre-school. We've been spending a good bit of time outside now the weather is a bit warmer. There's an old joke about the way you know it's summer in Ireland... the rain is warmer. We get an awful lot of rain here. Great for the plants but not great for the tan ;-)

She's getting so grown up looking!

Our new activity... Rainbow Looms

Having fun in the garden

Now that Beth is a little older and easier for babysitters, I have started to get out of the house a little more. I joined a drama group. They are hoping to put on a play in October and I may have a part in it. I'm also going to join a martial arts class. My tummy is looking a bit round so I need to get back into shape. Beth went to a martial arts class last night and loved it. It looked a little tough (I'm thinking about me here, she was well able for the exercises) but I hope I can get through the class without keeling over!

I feel like I'll never be finished editing DITC. AR is moving along, albeit very slowly, but at least there is movement. I suppose the next stage for DITC is a professional edit but I just don't have the spare cash for it right now. I'm wondering how I'm going to find time to write/edit when Beth finishes school for the summer!

Anyway, back to the edit!

Bit of this, bit of that

April started off well with the play. No news of the next performance yet. I've settled back into my quiet evenings at home. The beginning of the new season of Game of Thrones has eased my mind a little ;-)

Driving is going absolutely fantastic. Don't get me wrong, I still hate it, but I'm getting more proficient. I get in about three hours practice every week and keep up with my EDT lessons once a fortnight. I have completed seven EDT lessons so far. I need to do another five before I can apply to do my practical test. I really hope to pass first time! Then, it will be plain sailing, hopefully.

Easter came and went. So far over the school holidays, we have gone swimming, fed the ducks in the park, had late movie nights and visited Blackrock. Not very eventful, but we still have half a week to go. Going to squeeze in a few play dates!

Ice cream at the 'Rock'

We're very excited about next weekend. We are going to Bellurgan Park for Vantastival. We are camping for the whole weekend with another family for company. I was just doing my list of essentials today. We camped once last year, you can read about that here. So, I have most of the gear already. We are camping for three nights, but there will be loads of facilities and shops on site for anything we need. 

In writing, I'm out of the ABNA contest. I got two decent reviews from the Viners, so I'm not too disappointed. I have queried a few more agents with DITC. Fingers crossed for a positive result!

I have been working on Allie's Return for Camp NaNo but it has been slow going with distractions from DITC. It still feels unfinished and I keep going back to edit. My brain says to leave it rest and continue with AR, but my fingers click into DITC every time my laptop powers up and I get lost in it!

Time for more coffee and get back to Allie's Return!

Hope you all had a great Easter!