Thursday, May 08, 2008

Off The Cuff

I’m in a buoyant mood this afternoon.

Maybe it’s because I have the day off tomorrow.

Maybe it’s because the sun is shining and myself and my work colleagues spent an extended lunchbreak in the park eating ice cream – Flake 99’s no less – and pretended we were school kids once more bunking off for the afternoon. Though they (the Flake 99’s) cost considerably more than when I was a boy.

Or maybe it’s because I’ve managed some decent quality time on my novel this week (yes that old chestnut... I’m still writing it). A grand total of 125,262 words and still growing. I’m entering the final phase of the story now. The final third. It’s becoming something of a beast. Something I have to wrestle with and force to assume the submissive position beneath me each time I work on it. Who’s the daddy, eh? Who’s the daddy?

Er. Not sure if that analogy is entirely apposite. I mean, what I do with my Friday evenings is my business, right...? Ahem.

Or maybe it’s because I’ve booked a week off the end of May so that Mrs Bloggertropolis and I and our burgeoning little dynasty can head off into the glorious hills of Wales and partake of some much needed R&R time while the rest of the crazy rat-race we call life goes on without us.

Who knows?

Let’s just let the good times roll.

15 comments:

The Sagittarian said...

Oh time off - sounds divine! I am having to use a heavy duty crow bar to get the kids outta bed these mronings...too much frost about for them apparently.
Oh and WALES as well! This year we are going to Brisbane to Xmas with The Studs family but I'd rather be in Wales (well, maybe not at Xmas...)
Ice cream, yum! My youngest would eat that all day everyday if we let her. Cookies and Creme is her fave; mine is Hokey Pokey.

MommyHeadache said...

Darling! Keep going with the novel. Can't wait to see it in bookstores. Is there an overcrowded garden shed in it that is a metaphor for the block that sometimes takes hold of our creative processes? lol

Steve said...

Hi Amanda, are we talking Ben & Jerry's here? Have to say I love Phish Food... haven't had it for a long while. Thanks for the reminder! ;-)

Ha ha, I have to say, Emma, the novel is completely shedless but there's quite a bit of weirdness and sauciness in it. I would love to see it on the bookshelves too... but that feels a long way off at the moment!

-eve- said...

Oh, good for you, Steve! Happy holidays! :-)

Steve said...

Thanks, Eve! ;-)

Daisy said...

steve...i had the worst craving yesterday for some honeycomb icecream ...i think i have been away too long...*searches for airfare*

wales sounds lovely...and your attitude today is fabulous...thank you for starting my day on a good note!

Steve said...

Ah Daisy, honeycomb ice cream... another classic and another reason to crank up the positivity another notch! Pleasure doing business with you! ;-)

Old Cheeser said...

Great to hear the novel is progressing well. Look forward to seeing it in Waterstones...I think you're kind of right with your analogy though. Even though you are "the writer" a story can actually get out of control and go in an unexpected direction and you have to get it back on track! As for the Friday evenings, we don't wish to know about your bestial leanings please, Steve (or maybe we do!)

And have a lurvely time in Wales! I was there about this time last year and it's bootiful, really bootiful. Aaaah Bernard Matthews speak. Sad Old Cheeser that I am...

Ice cream Flake 99s are the best! I always ate the flake first though and then wished I'd saved it. The ice cream was kinda boring by comparison...

Steve said...

Hi OC, nice to see you back round these parts! Yeah, I eat the flake first too but being a chocaholic that's inevitable. All this talk of ice cream is making me crave some! I'm counting down the days to Wales... Karen and I are off to purchase a proper trailer for the car to store all the camping stuff... 2 kids seriously diminishes the storage capacity of our little old car!

TimeWarden said...

Being a bit of a chocoholic, too, I quite like "Feasts"!

Hope you have a nice time in Wales and avail yourselves of plenty more ice cream of the chocolate variety!

Steve said...

Ah Feasts another classic... though the nutty bits always get stuck in my teeth. Personally I always favour a Magnum. It's the moustache that does it for me. Ahem.

David said...

Stay focused on the novel. I am intrigued and wondering if you will give your good loyal reader a snippet or two?

Anonymous said...

You do sound happy. I have been jolly all week - mostly because of the weather I guess.

My sons wanted ice creams the other day. They like the Cornettos that you do yourself from a machine? They have them in the PO shop anyway. So I sent them off with £2. They came home having only been able to buy one ice cream between three. I am seriously out of touch - they were £1.20 each!!! Outrageous!

You've given me a huge sense of hiraeth talking about Wales - not that I am Welsh but my sons are I suppose. I shall have to fix up to visit myself. The drive is the thing that puts me off - you are rather nearer!

Hope you are having a lovely weekend. I certainly am.

Gina

Steve said...

David, I may well do in the near future - stay tuned!

Hi Gina, £1.20 is still cheaper than here - it was £1.40 here! Mind you everything in the ice cream was curiously £1.40 come to think about it... maybe they're trying to hide something within an impenetrable audit trail?

Annie G said...

99s are the best ever Steve!! I eat the flake first then push the ice cream down the cone with my tongue, then when you get to tip of the cone, you're not left with just boring wafer!

Can't wait to read your book - are there any 99s in it?

Happy Monday - I hope you are enjoying another glorious day :-)