Brrr Abode: ROW80

It’s cold inside (9-11) – maybe marginally warmer than outside but not by very much!  Heating has crashed big time here in ‘Brrrr Abode’.  One room was out over Christmas, it was felt by moi just to be a minor matter, then day before plumber was due this week to fix it, everything went down.  No longer a five minute job and a five minute bill but MAJOR, well hopefully not major, but we do need a new part which, of course, isn’t available off the shelf, has to be ordered! We. Are. Still. Waiting.  and UK hit another ‘cold snap’

I have been colder of course, as a child in houses where water indoors would freeze at night.  When we raced to the kitchen to turn on gas oven and warm clothes inside, when we slept under a mountain of blankets feet on hot water bottle not daring to move in the night because we would hit cold sheets.  That was colder.

On my travels sleeping with no shelter in deserts, in the Himalayas, where dressing up to get into sleeping bags was the rule and don’t think you’ll sleep, too exhausting – the shivering.

In New York in January but, funnily enough, not in Antarctica. Oh yes I have been far colder in my life but, and it is a big but, and I hate to admit it, when one is young, energetic and even foolhardy it is more easily coped with.  One can do star jumps and run on the spot to warm cold limbs.  One can run, skate, slide jump and keep merry and bright.  Ah, only occasionally do I envy youth and this week has been one such time.

Ah well it hasn’t been freezing in the house, it has given a perfect excuse to sit in front of log fires and read, it has given my woolies an airing and I have been able to indulge my liking of layers and clashing colours:) now instead of

‘ OMG  you’re not going to wear that!’  I get

‘Oh bless,  so cold pile everything on don’t worry about the colour’.

Who ever said I was worried about the colour?  I have so many layers my body has hibernated snuggly for the duration, I swath my neck head and face in accumulation of scarves and shawls and get my self tangled up with them and the chain of my glasses! (the shawls are necessary as cold air affects my breathing and I need to cover mouth and nose if handling dead wood – allergies abound in my immune system!) and only tips of my fingers peek out from -finger-less gloves (well actually they are re-cycled socks with toes and heels cut off).  I’m sure next Sunday I shall be positively sun bathing in warmth – always optimistic, moi:)

So this week I knew it would be difficult to write so much was going on, I had meetings and group activities every day and then extras such as squeezing in plumbers.  So I concentrated on research.

1) The Ancestor’s Tale:  I started the week well researching not just more religious matters but communal living as well with a thank you to Eden for her link.  I printed off realms for future perusal.  This future came sooner than I thought as it became just to cold to type later in the week so have been reading all the  research found (love wood fires).  Well ahead on that goal now.

2) As writing was put aside I have also sneaked in research for NaNo this year.  I am doing a workshop with savvy on world building and been having brainstorming sessions so what was a vague idea is now becoming a reality and I have perused quite a few links to aid me on this new world. Think it will be exciting.

3) Blogs – this has gone well

a)  I have put up Fellow Writers blog – 2nd Tuesday of the month – here on this blog.

b)  I have started asking questions on sefutychronicles about how well prepared we may be if the terrible happens.

c)  I have put up a review of Small Island by A Levey on albertareads and also

d)   Telling Tales which about the is fantasy/fairy tale/myth/legend reading challenge of the same name. I have a great collection for the year.  As Nano is going to be a creation type myth I was going to be reading a great deal on the subject this year anyway.  My short stories often include fantasy and fairy tale so keeping up with these will be fun- no,  no, sorry, that should have been, work.

e) Researched/prepared and sent off interview questionnaires for two forthcoming Red Carpet guests and began getting this coming weeks guest post arranged so watch this space!

4)  I put trailer on hold as it necessitates sitting for long period playing with notes and pictures, too cold for fingers my age.

5)  Have managed a reasonable amount of networking but not as much as usual ditto reason above.

I’m pleased with this week despite having to change every thing around and sometimes that’s good stirs up the brain cells fires them in a different way – so everything is good here in ‘Brrr Abode’.

Next week: Red Carpet Guest is introducing her new novel – interesting idea eternal youth – for those of us viewing saggy flesh each morning and for those of you (gritted teeth) with youthful ones it should make an interesting book – would you desire it?

Well hopefully will have heat or the country will move into a mild spell.  I have nearly every day free so will push up my word count then.  Still have time to finish Blue Moons before end of Feb so no panic yet (I built in ‘life gets in the way’ time to calculations) I am well ahead on research.

If these conditions continue I will spend time with more reading/research and start the detailed planning of Ancestors.

I do hope everyone had satisfactory weeks and life is treating them kindly.

ps: I have noticed the cold is making my dyspraxia worse so please excuse if I/word checker/editing software haven’t picked up all mistakes  I  am giving friend from forever/editor a couple of months off.