Monday 20 July 2009

Summer, at last!

sunny, very warm, temps 28

Glorious, glorious day! Sat on the porch and started the second edit. Did 50 pages, smelling the coriander and Japanese lilac and old garden roses.

Actually, after about 45 pages the laptop crashed...and I lost the previouys 5 pages of editing, but since it's only editings, and fairly fine-tuning at this stage it wasn't hard to re-boot and re-create. Michael always backs things up on our 'stick', then downloads it to our desktops...and when a version is finished I email to to myself...so if there's a catastrophe there will be an electronic version floating around.

Every now and then we hear about writers who lose their entire, and only, manuscripts. I cannot begin to imagine how terrible that would be. Devastating.

Wonderful day...after finishing the days editing around 2pm I made Michael lunch (I'd snacked all morning and wasn't hungry) then I hopped into Sutton for groceries...mostly milk and fruit. Peaches are in, they taste like summer - and huge, white cherries...and water mellon. I adore fruit.

The massive marshmallows have appeared in the field close to home. These are actually bales of hay, covered in white plastic to help drying...but it looks like the field is suddenly growning huge marshmallows. Also a sign of summer.

Then home to lounge by the pool with People magazine...swimming, eating cherries, sipping diet ginger ale. Replying to some emails on the blackberry. Some people who hear that are appalled, and want me to know I should set the BB aside...and perhaps they're right, but where would I rather be answering them? The emails must be replied to and what better office than beside the pool. No, I adore my blackberry. I leave it at home on social occassions...but it's a terrific way to manage my stuff without worrying about having to spend two hours in a stuffy office.

Feels great to be back at the book...and it's going well. And by the pool. The family of geese is back...I think the parents are having difficulty getting the kids to leave the nest. I wish they'd go. As romantic as they look from afar they sure leave a lot of merde behind.

Take care - will blog tomorrow.

9 comments:

Jeanine said...

OMYGOSH ... I lost half a letter I was writing this morning and you'd have thought it was a government conspiracy the way I reacted! I can't imagine your losing 5 pages of edits! You are one serene lady.

Jo B. said...

You are so right, peaches are so summer! I have been enjoying the ones I bought at the local market....not Georgia peaches as one would think, but South Carolina ones! It is so great this year to have all the fresh fruits and vegetables instead of everything drying up because of drought! I have been "packing pecks and pecks of bread and butter and okra pickles".

Lee Ann said...

My husband got a Blackberry several weeks ago--now he reads our e-mail and I feel liberated!

On the berry theme, strawberries were the primary crop of the valley where I was born. We used to have strawberry shortcake for dinner (the entire meal that is) in the summer time.

Lee Ann

lil Gluckstern said...

You are so right-fruit spells summer to me. Here in California, we get fruit from South America in the winter-just not the same. Love white peaches, and strawberries, and blueberries. My family (when young) camped in Algonquin Provincial Park,and we had the best fresh picked blueberries with our cereal, Best ever. I think your Canadian weather is better for fruit. I am enjoying the educational descriptions of your edits. Writing is hard work!!! I can just hear you saying that I have no idea. I loved your description of your "me" day. Your Michael is a treasure.

Lil

Louise Penny Author said...

DEar jeanine,

Well, I can tell you, the air was blue for a few minutes!

Louise Penny Author said...

DEar Jo B,

Packing pecks and pecks...wonderful...I know bread and butter pickles...adore them. But okra too? Thanks a new one. My assistant Lise does amazing pickling...I love her pickled beets. She does baby carrots too.

So glad you've had rain. A drought must be terrible.

Louise Penny Author said...

DEar Lee Ann,

YES - blackberries are terrific. But I wonder if people feel that way about heroin at first? Never mind, I love mine.

And LOVED your description of the entire meal of strawberries. Strawberry stew? Fried Strawberries? BBQ perhaps? But I bet they were delicious!

Louise Penny Author said...

Dear Lil,

I can only imagine, though, how lovely your fruit is! Ours is great too, and yes the blueberries are amazing. There's an area of Quebec known as the Blueberry kingdom. There's a monestary there of cloistered monks, whose vocation is chocolate covered blueberries. Fresh. The season is quite short so when they hit the stories it's a riot.

Jo B. said...

Just so you know, pickled okra is wonderful. A jar only has one hot pepper, a garlic clove, pinch of alum, dried dill seed, and whole small okra pods! Then covered with a white vinegar/salt solution! Heaps easier than bread and butter pickles! Wouldn't think you would find much okra in Canada!