editing etc

mainly sunny, hot, temps 30

Great day...sat again on the porch and edited. Michael beside me. Wayne cutting the grass. We really do need to consolidate the work done at the home, so that everyone doesn't come on separate days. I just really long for peace and quiet to write and edit and just be...quiet. But now it seems everyone comes on a different day. Have asked Lise if she can help with this...

Have to say, the place just shines after Lise and Wayne have been.

It was so hot today...we were just dying...but when Wayne's out there cutting grass we just don't feel we can splash around in the pool. Torturous for him, and not very private for us.

Writing a mixed bag...editing, really. Hit some patches that were pretty messy...surprisingly so. But also hit two sections that took my breath away - unexpectedly. I find if a section isn't working I need to read the scene all the way through, figure out why it's there, what I wanted to say...then re-shape it. Am winnowing it down too. down to just over 103,000 words. At this rate it might be a novella by the time I'm finished. Just kidding...I love that I now have loads of space to add if necessary. And I can think of a few scenes that need to be added.

Am loving this book though, and the themes.

Tomorrow more editing...then the 5-7 cocktail (in Quebec they're called cinq a septs) to open the Knowlton WordFest literary festival. Meeting, among others, Jim Napier there. He's a friend, and literary critic, and he and I are doing a couple of events together this weekend. He'd coming to stay overnight Friday and Saturday.

Not sure if we'll put him in the main house or the cottage. The cottage has air conditioning in the upstairs bedroom, so if it's stinking hot we'll put him there. Our guest bedroom in the main house gets sweltering.

Busy, busy weekend. But fun. Will tell you more about it in tomorrow's blog. Love to see you here for the lit fest.

Hope you're enjoying the day.

ruffled feathers

partly sunny, nice day, temps 20

really, a very nice day, especially in comparisson to the last few. Wayne arrived bright and early to cut the grass. He's such a nice man...fun to see him bouncing along on the trwctor with his cowboy hat...when he goes behind trees and bushes and we get glimpes of him we can almost imagine him on a horse.

Geese come and go. Wayne report that this morning while cutting out by the pond the parents and goslings were on the slope...they ran for the pond when they spotted Wayne, but the little ones got their big goose feet all tangled up and they someraulted into the pond. No one hurt...a few feathers ruffled.

Wayne called his wife Shirley to come and take a picture of them for the local fair. So she was out there for about half an hour.

signed the last of the books - need to call ups. Then did exercise and put a load of laundry in.

A few other things - small and fun - to do today. Michael is plugging along on the page proofs of The Brutal Telling. I have to say, I adore this book. Hope you do too.

Talk tomorrow!