early morning 16 May

So have I told you about my problems with the internet? I suddenly lose it and despite pressing the ‘refresh’ button it just won't come back sometimes I can pick up emails (on three separate addresses) – sometimes I can’t but can get on the Internet. Sometimes I can pick up my compuserve addresss emails (reserved for close friends and lovers) and not my publishing emails; and sometimes I can pick up the ‘work’ emails and not the privates…..so what the hell is going on? I’ve had two people look at my laptop since January and they have fiddled around, put in new wireless adaptors, assured me that my laptop has its own wireless connection, checked my routers from which I pick up my signals and even travelled around the area where I live connecting me to other computers (just for a short while, honest) and it keeps jumping off....and it is driving me nuts. I have now worked out the pattern of my laptop’s behaviour – when the computer is first started in the morning, it is fine but by coffee time its beginning to get erratic. If I leave it alone for the afternoon to have a little snooze (on off, not hibernating) it might just let me connect in the evening….

I have put forward my theory; it gets hot and doesn’t like working the internet when it’s hot so it decides to take these little rests. Or there’s a dead spider in there which is roasting…..or a little numskull man who is giggling at me as I try to put this on my blog but my computer experts look at me as if I ought to be locked up ….if anyone can come up with a solution they will immediately be sent some virtual reality jellybeans – a ton of them, as a thankyou.

I’ve been so busy the last few days so can’t really say what I’ve done – you know that feeling, when your head is buzzing so much with all the activity and rushing around and phones ringing and people asking questions and expecting immediate decisions to be made and the expected not happening and having to chase and the unexpected happening instead…..except there’s a little gem come on the radio as I drive home from a professional CPD meeting…well a powerful soul enhancing gem, Mahler’s 5th Symphony. It is so so difficult to get out of the car. Sometimes I will just sit there and let the music surround me and blow the time, but tonight I have to see a client and it’s already 6.38 and I’m going to cook dinner and I want to do some writing. (this was written last night but, guess what, I couldn't post it because of the internet probs.)

On Wednesday three of Goldenford Directors gave a talk at Guildford Institute about how our roots are hidden in our writing, or some such title, and it went down very well and we sold quite a few books AND also had an invite to talk at Farnham Barn in the future….and we’re giving a talk at Woking library on the 28th May so things are looking up. The fourth director, Irene, is on jury service and its been going on for weeks and weeks: please, criminal justice system, can we have our director back soon?

And I’ve just heard she’s been shortlisted for the prestigious Bristol short story prize, winner to be announced on 28 June….