Yes, I’ve been quiet for a while. Been busy doing stuff. But mostly I’ve been preparing for NaNoWriMo 2017. Gathering my notes and trying to get ahead with other things like housework. Get ahead with housework? I forgot that ain’t possible!

When I took on the task of writing 50,000 words during the month of November, I forgot about that thing called ‘life’. Family responsibilities, health issues and friends coming for the weekend (I’ll talk about them in a minute).

I was doing shocking well for the first three days, writing away like there was no tomorrow. Then I had to stop to do a few jobs around the house – like wash clothes and myself! Then I had to travel across the country to spend the weekend with my adult children.

Yes, I brought my laptop and all my notes but did I take them out of the car? Nope! I’d forgotten how busy it is when I’m there and I need peace and no distractions when I’m writing. Although I did get lots of stories from my parents about times gone by, which I need for my book. So my weekend wasn’t totally unproductive.

Monday was more or less out the window for me too because I had a hospital appointment. That took up the best part of my day and when I finally sat down that evening I was wrecked. Mentally and physically!

I had an ultrasound scan a few weeks ago that showed up a cyst on my ovary. Not awfully big, about the size of a walnut. Because it’s causing me pain I was referred to a gynaecologist to get it checked out further.

I left early because I wasn’t 100% sure about where I was going. Sure I arrived all chirpy and laughing with the receptionist, about how I just spent 40 minutes looking for them – with a full bladder. I thought I was getting another ultrasound but instead, I was informed that I was booked in for an internal scan. Before I could make a run for it, the lovely nurse called me in.

I won’t go into too much detail but all I could think about when I was lying there was, ‘Why oh why didn’t I shave my legs? And please God do not let them look at my chipped toenail polish.’

After a very thorough examination, it was decided that the cyst can stay where it is for now because apparently, that’s not what’s causing the pain. He wants me back in 6 months to get it checked again! Not keen!

What I need to do now is monitor my diet because the scan showed some bowel inflammation! I blame all the garlic and chilli I keep adding to just about every dish I cook!

Tuesday and Wednesday, I suffered from an angry swollen eyelid that I called a sty, because I didn’t know what else to call it. I had a deadline to meet for a magazine article I was writing, which took me the two days to complete. It was quite difficult to concentrate with one eye half closed and blurred vision! Needless to say, I was like a bag of cut cats because I had now missed six days in a row of NaNo.

I was supposed to be super wordy this week because Saphirra and Mohotma Coatalay are coming to stay with me for the weekend! The plan was to get about 3,000 words in today before they’d arrive, but then I found out the pair of fruitcakes will be arriving at lunchtime! That’s about six hours earlier than I expected. That’s a lot of writing time!

When Saphirra rang me to break the good news, I almost told her, ‘No Saphirra. I won’t be ready for ye. The book I’m writing…..remember? The one I keep talking about. Well, I’m writing it right now…today….this week!’

But then she said sweetly, ‘We’ll take you and Little Miss Six out for lunch.’

‘Oh come right ahead. Come as early as you want, I’ll be ready.’

And Little Miss Six will be spending the day with her Daddy!

Yes, yes, all you NaNo winners, I could have told my best friends to drive around town about a hundred times, then knock on my door at 7pm after I have a few chapters composed. But I need these two in my life. We only manage a few meetings a year and it’s therapy. Our AA (Adult Asylum) meetings are very important to us. They’re my cheerleaders and only for them and Stephano, I’d have quit long ago. They listen to me when I talk about my writing (I think) and they unknowingly give me lots of ideas. They don’t care that I write about them on my blog (I think it’s because they want to be famous). I even made up a contract for them to sign!

We agree that anything we say or do may be used as a blog post and that the truth may be slightly altered in order to make us look more exciting and fun to be with.

Signed__________________________________

They allow me to be moody when I’m hungry. Actually…..that might explain why they want to feed me immediately. Prevention is better than cure!

These things are very important. And yes, they are total fruitcakes! I’m the only normal one among us.

I had a good writing day yesterday – 4,000 words – so I’m happy to spend the weekend with my buddies. You never know, they might even give me a few plot ideas. They’re very imaginative after a few wines.

This will may be my last post until the end of November because Ellen Best told me to get off social media and the blogosphere if I want to win at NaNo! And I always take advice from people who wish me well! Thank you Ellen. However…… I might just pay Big Up Your Blog a little visit on Sat for #SocialSaturday. Just for one hour while Saphirra and Mohotma Coatalay are having their cornflakes and their vodka coffee!