Hello. Goodbye.

rain, sun, rain, sun, rain...temps 16, 12, 16, 12, 16...

Oh, well. Could be worse. I could still be writing the first draft of Bury Your Dead and Michael could still be in the septic tank.

Lupins are blooming! Honeysuckle is out, roses and peony in tight bud. Asperagus harvested! Dock in, yesterday.

Ooops, said Tony, kneeling on the wooden island while Michael and I stood on the part fixed to land. Tony was drifting further out into the pond and the attachment could just barely be seen disappearing to the bottom.

Oh my.

Michael and I did what we do best. We stood and watched. Tony did what he does best - he did something. Grabbed the ladder, as yet unattached to the dock, and slung it across to us. We grabbed it, and no more oops. Except that the attachement was now on the bottom of the pond. Tony though looked into his plastic bag of 'stuff' and found, miraculously, another attachment. And within minutes the dock was whole and Tony was restored to dry land.

Nothing to it.

Our home is called 'Common Ground' because that's what we believe in finding. However we're thinking of re-naming it 'Ooops'.

Had breakfast with Joan this morning. What bliss to be able to re-connect with friends. Called Cheryl but we couldn't organize a time this weekend so I'll call when we return from our trip. Heading to Montreal tomorrow, then on to Toronto for the reading at the Toronto Reference Library Tuesday night. The amazing Wendy Mesley will be reading an excerpt from The Murder Stone. Then she and I will slip away for dinner. If you'd like to come it's going to be huge fun. Books for sale too, and other authors like Gail Bowen and Linwood Barclay. It starts at 7pm and is in the Beeton Auditorium - Toronto Reference Library - 789 Yonge St. Love to see you there.

Then heading to Ottawa Wednesdya morning...have a CBC interview live at 4:40 in studio in Ottawa. Then Thursday is the Arthur Ellis awards - The Murder Stone is up for Best Novel. And Bloody Words starts Friday. Denise Mina is the International Guest of Honour. Barbara Fradkin the local and I'm the Canadian Guest of Honour. So amazingly humbling to be honoured at home like this. I'm so moved. And thrilled.

But - have to say - it's hard to leave home when everything's so beautiful. There have been years when we've headed out at this time for several weeks and I've been in tears knowing i'd miss the peony and first flush of roses and the lupins. Such agony to leave.

It still is, but this time I know we'll be home in just over a week.

And I'm so looking forward to the events and seeing good friends.

Just finished exercising for the day. Great news - my pants are loose - and the ones I wore last summer are also loose...or at least not tight! I do ten minutes a day on the ellipical. Shouldn't really be working as well as it is, but perhaps my body is in shock. But Susan gave me a great tip...she does an elliptical too...she suggested doing some minutes with just the legs...so that's what I do...about half the time flat out - just legs. Almost kills me. But it works.

I'm exceptionally lazy and impatient, so a quick intense burst suits my personality. And, apparently, my body. Then i can relax.

Michael's finished the proof pages for The Brutal Telling - wonderful man. I have a manuscript I'm reading with a view to endorsing...want to finish before the end of the day today.

2 loads of laundry in.

A light day.

Will blog from the road - give you updates. Be well...and speak soon.