Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Blooming Marvellous

It’s midweek and despite feeling shattered I’m in a pretty good mood.

Karen paid a visit to the midwife yesterday. She’s making weekly visits now so that the midwife can listen to the baby’s heartbeat. I’m glad to say that a very strong, very regular whooshing noise could be heard and all indications are that the pregnancy is progressing well. Obviously after losing the baby last year we’re both experiencing frequent bouts of anxiety over this one and it’s nice to have such regular reassurances from the midwife.

Karen is certainly starting to look very pregnant now and is exhausted by her normal working day. By choice she’s continuing to work for a few more months and then will take off a good year or so after the baby is born to recover. It’s going to mean tight times ahead but it will undoubtedly be worth it.

On the novel front things are also progressing well. I’m now writing chapter 5 and am a healthy 24,812 words into it. My mate, Tris, thinks I’m making good progress from this statistic but having previously only written and published poetry I’m finding it hard to judge the novel’s development. I guess all I can do is plough ahead and try to write as best I can. Sounds a rather mawkish and overly simplified approach but it seems to be working so far.

I took the speculative step of getting some business cards printed up for my web design business this month too. I’ve now taken delivery of 500 self-designed business cards which I shall be releasing into the world forthwith. Hopefully some local computer retailers will see fit to display my sumptuously designed calling cards and then I can sit back and watch as a host of work offers don’t flood in...

And finally Karen and I have booked our summer holiday. We deliberated and cogitated over a week in Paris. We ummed and ahhed over renting a cottage not far from Nantes. But in the end decided on a week in Marazion in Cornwall and have rented a lovely little cottage overlooking the sea. France would have been nice but Karen will be heavily pregnant by then and not up to the discomfort of overnight ferry rides... and to ensure her comfort with a cabin inflated the price of the holiday way beyond the reach of our meagre budget. The train to Paris would have been better but in the end we decided we wanted a relaxing outdoor holiday as opposed to being swept up in the madness of a city. Albeit a very cultured and beautiful one.

So Cornwall it is and France can wait until next year. Or at least until my finances are healthy again!

4 comments:

MOTHER OF MANY said...

Brilliant baby news.
Whilst I do enjoy going abroad I also renting cottages and holidaying in the UK.We holidayed in a cottage in Cornwall a few years ago and it was brilliant.And you can do culture in Cornwall......whilst there we saw The Taming of the Shrew.

-eve- said...

Sounds like a nice holiday planned...
Didn't know you wrote poetry - wish you'd put up a sample (I don't think the books we get here are the same as those published over there, or I'd go look in the bookshop for it). I wouldn't be much of a critic, though, 'cos I hardly read poetry...
Great to hear the baby's doing well. And Karen will have a good time resting and spending time with it after the birth. As you say, it's worth it....

Steve said...

Hi Aly, yes we've been looking at the plays that are on offer at the Minack to try and catch a little bit of art in between the beach bumming!

Eve, I posted some poetry on-line way before Christmas when I came third in a local poetry competition. You can check out my entry here The Trolley.

Old Cheeser said...

Good to hear all your news and glad that Karen's pregnancy is going well!

And the book is progressing too - good stuff! How are the folk of Stockwell? (No cameo from Bev then?) I'm sure writing a novel is nowhere near as easy at it sounds (another friend of mine recently finished his first draft and I know it took some doing for him - a far more complicate process than people know) but you're absolutely right - all you can do is carry on! But I'm sure it's better than you realise.

The website looks good too - good idea. Well if I don't complete my web design course or forget all that I've learned, I might come knocking at your door...