Kid Olympics

sunny, hot, temps 29

Having a great time with the kids. I'm not at all good with kids until they hit the double digits, and then I'm more relaxed. Once I can talk to them. And these kids are great. Two boys, two girls...so far no tears, no teasing, no taunting and meanness that come sometimes happen. Of course, the day isn't over yet... But yesterday was a joy. Rained a bit in the morning, but they all went swimming anyway.

I've forgotten what it's like to be a kid and not care about water temperature. They even went swimming for an hour or so in the pond. They found the big pool toys...the dolphin and the porpoise - and next thing we knew they were splashing away with Uncle Doug in the pond. Today, after pancakes and bacon the boys got back in the pool and devised the 'Kids Olympics" which entailed catching a football as you jump into the deep end, then running along the bottom of the shallow end, and finally their version of the butterfly. Pretty chaotic Olympics, but still no tears and no trips to the emergency department.

Yesterday we all walked down the road to visit Markus and feed him carrots and apples - then into the village for ice cream - and back home for the Canadiens game. Least said about that, the better. (we lost - there, I said it.)

Barbeque burgers for the kids, lobsters for Vic and Michael - salads for Doug and me. Ending with the brownies, which Theo's Mom made...dear Lord they're wonderful.

And today is just the most beautiful day. As I write all four kids have just finished playing soccer out by the pond and are now in the pool. We're off for crepes later, but will hang loose (as they say) in case the kids would rather just play around here. sirloin steaks on the BBQ for dinner - and salads. Frankly, while we try to get some good food into the kids we pretty much feed them crap...and hope Theo's mom put carrots and broccoli into the brownies. Like the Canadiens winning this series, it seems a forlorn hope. It's a little disconcerting when Markus is getting better nutrition than the kids.

Everyone leaves tomorrow morning, we have the the Adult Olympics of washing sheets and towels and doing dishes and finding single shoes and socks and underwear to be mailed after them.

And then the place gets quiet, and we try to pretend it's peaceful...just peaceful. And not empty.

Flushing the Canadiens

Overcast, spitting, cool, highs 12

windy today, and rainy. Really not all that cold for Quebec at this time of year, but the combo of rain and wind, well it gets right into you.

Had a fun day today. Woke up to Trudy and her stinky stuffed toy in my face. I whispered, 'Where's Daddy?'. That gave me a few more minutes sleep.

Wrote all morning - moving toward the end - though still about 25 thousand words away. Would love to be finished this first draft before we head back to England at the end of the month.

I like deadlines. Gives me structure and certainly gives me purpose. But I'm a bit of a maniac about deadlines. I actually get my books in months ahead. While I love having them, and need them...and when I was writing STILL LIFE without a contract I realized I needed to give myself deadlines. Something to shoot for. The downside is that I feel so stressed by a deadline I just drive myself, way beyond what could be considered reasonable.

But, I also want the summer off - to relax. So this is my plan: Finish the first draft by the end of this month. Go to CrimeFest in Bristol then BookExpo in Toronto. Return home by mid-June. Work on second draft through June. Finish that before going away at beginning of July. Polish through July. Get it to my agent by the beginning of August...and take August off. Except for the promotion events at Wolfe Island, Ontario and in Michigan.

There's some stress, but it's all manageable. And really, what else would I rather be doing? this really is a dream come true.

I asked Phyllis Smallman, whose wonderful book Marguerita Nights has just come out, to write a blog for me. I specifically asked her to write about her experiences with the Unpublished Arthur Ellis award - she won last year and as a result her first book is now in the stores - published by McArthur and Co.

Like me, she got her break through a contest for Best Unpublished Crime Novel. If you're a mystery writer, please consider checking out the CWA Daggers, the Malice domestic/St. Martin's Minotaur contest and the Crime Writers of Canada contest. They work!

Anyway, back to Phyllis. she wrote the most beautiful blog and I'd intended to put it up immediately, but had to go out, and I don't want to put it on for only a few hours. So I'll put it on the site tomorrow. Please look for it here. And look out for her book in the stores and on Amazon.

I'm off to Colchester, Vermont to speak at the Burnham library tomorrow at 2pm - I might see some of you there.

The duck and goose are still at the pond. Very friendly too. I swear to God we're going to have a new species in a few weeks.

Michael is watching the Montreal Canadiens playoff game. I can hear it in the background. He just reported...Philadelphia has scored 3 goals in 5 minutes. Unbelievable. But we should have known. Michael's good luck charm, bought in New Zealand, fell into the toilet. That can't be good. Frankly I'm glad if we have to have bad luck, it's with the Canadiens.

Yikes, I can barely stand the sound of the game - so stressful!!!

Well, I'm off. Dogs to be let out and given their evening treats. Thanks for reading - and I'll put up Phyllis's post tomorrow.