The Joys of Country Living

Having moved here (to Avoca, Tasmania) only recently from NSW where I've lived most of my life, there are a few things I haven't gotten used to yet. Bitterly cold and very windy last night, just doesn't seem right to be cold in January. We live in a small town (hamlet, village, you decide) of about 125 people. No letter boxes, everyone in town picks up the mail from the post office. No garbage collection service, the local tip is open on Wednesday from 3:00pm til 5:00pm and Saturday from 10:00am till 4:00pm.

The mosquitoes kept me up all night last night, even after spraying on some repellent. I'm convinced we've got a gang of them from the wrong side of town. These mosquitoes huff the repellent to get high. I was so tired when I got up this morning, I put both feet in one leg of my undies.

As I waited for the kettle to boil, I noticed the cats had run out of food overnight. Rather surprising there wasn't a full scale riot. Loki of course was more interested in getting his water (from the tap) but Lexi was face down in the bowl before I'd finished topping it up.

Realised this morning I'd forgotten to take the garbage to the tip yesterday.

After my first caffeine hit for the day, I went out and played with Basil. Picked about one and a half kilos of cherry plums. We'll make something good out of them later.

Working on my second cup now, read to hit the writing again...

Just submitted a first draft of "Dream Stealers" to my wife. It's just a short piece, needs more work, more colour, not really sci fi, more horror. Added a few hundred words to my work from yesterday so far too and it's only midday so far. We shall see, I've re-written yesterdays piece several times today as well as adding to it. Two steps forward, one back, but at least it's progress.

I have three stories on the go now, well four, but I'm kind of stuck on one of them. I actually started it almost a year ago. But of the three current ones, one is a book, and two short stories. Should have at least one ready for submission some time this coming week.

Surprisingly hot day today, with an even hotter seeming night. The brief storm we had hasn't done anything to cool things down and there are bugs everywhere.

Loki's been watered, Basil's rounded up Lexi (boy does she hate that, but she does look a little like a sheep) time for bed.

The First Day (of the rest of my life?)

Woke up this morning to the usual sounds of scratching by Basil (our "German Border" one year old puppy.) This of course resulted in my lovely wife letting him out and Lexi (our eldest fur baby, a Ragdoll cat) walking on my head informing me it was time to arise.

After the required second cup of coffee to restore the blood content to their proper levels in my caffeine stream, I set out to start (restart, kinda...) my writing career.

While casting about procrastinating, downloading the latest version of OpenOffice.org etc... I stumbled across "Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy", an online writers course for aspiring scribblers such as myself by Jeffry A Carver.

Went out into the backyard/paddock and pulled up a couple more thistles, played with Basil for a while.

I've started the course and will apply it to a story I wrote (and am now re-writing) back in 1987, 1989, well some time around then.

Loki (our other Ragdoll) has been watered (he insists on only drinking directly from the tap) and now Lexi is walking in front of me as I type. It's her way of telling me it's time for bed.

I've made a start on the writing today. Only about 500 words so far, I've re-organised them a bunch of times though, and I'm well and truly out of practice. More on the morrow with a fresh mind.